12 Days of Fic-mas, Scarlet Vision Style
by Kagetora no Tsume
Summary: For the Scarlet Vision Secret Santa gift exchange. 12 days till Christmas, 12 flash fics. Let's do this!
1. Day 1

Vision blinks his eyes open as Wanda stirs beside him, a soft noise escaping her lips.

Her delicate brow is creased in a frown, her eyes shifting beneath closed lids as she wades through troubled dreams, and Vision gently strokes a finger across her cheek.

She's had trouble sleeping since the Raft – night terrors waking her every few hours, her trembling body drenched in sweat and a scream on her lips. Wanda has yet to open up to him about what exactly happened, but the words she murmurs in her sleep give him enough idea, and he is becoming familiar with the little curl of heat in his chest that is _rage_ over how she was treated.

Since Captain Rogers had broken them out she'd been a ghost, flitting from one location to another in a desperate bid to keep off the radar, but there were only so many conclusions that could be drawn when an "explosion of red magic" got reported to the news.

It had taken him a week of constantly monitoring Mr. Stark's facial recognition scanner and finding patterns in her previous sightings to pin her down, and she'd actually broken down crying when he'd cornered her in a near-deserted train station in middle-of-nowhere Europe and revealed that he was there to help.

He'll never forget the first heart-breaking glimpse he'd caught of her – standing alone in the light evening rain with a tattered, too-big coat wrapped firmly around her shivering body and her hair a mess as she stared down the hazy tracks with dead eyes.

Despite her wretched appearance, his heart had soared straight up into his throat at the mere sight of her, relief crashing like an avalanche over him because he had _found_ her at last and she was _okay_.

He hadn't let her out of his sight since.

Vision turns over slowly, phasing his body in and out in turn to be sure he doesn't disturb her light sleep, until he has one arm curled around her shoulders and the other hugged around her waist. Wanda settles a little against him as he curls around her, the girl taking subconscious comfort in the heat and feel of being held. The brush of her warm breath curling over his collarbone runs like a shiver up through his processors to buzz in his head, and he lets out a slow sigh in content.

He doesn't need to sleep – not the way she does – so in the small hours of the night when Wanda is trying to catch up on some much-needed rest, he keeps guard to put her mind at ease. Lying at her side, he can lower his energy usage to a minimum and let his mind wander, roving over maybes and what-ifs, and what could possibly be.

Exploring the options for what can be done…what _he_ can do…about the Accords that keep them apart, and the fears that linger in her big, trusting eyes when she looks up at him.

About that awful "wanted dead or alive" order that's hanging like a noose around the neck of the young woman he loves more than anything in this world.

So far his options have been scattered and highly implausible, but he will never stop trying. Not until he can bring his dear Wanda home with him safely.

The sharp, sudden ringing of his cell jolts Wanda awake with a gasp, and Vision winces. He had been hoping that she would get a chance to sleep through the night.

He kisses the top of her head, murmuring an apology into her hair as he gently detangles an arm from her and gropes for his cell on the dresser.

The number is startlingly familiar, and Vision swallows his lingering emotions back _hard_ before he answers the phone.

"Hello?"

"Vision, buddy," Tony's voice rings through the speaker, sounding far too chipper, and Vision doesn't miss the way Wanda goes a shade paler as she realizes who it is he's talking to.

"It's, ah…it's midnight," Tony points out, his voice shifting as if he's leaning to look at something. "Haven't seen you since yesterday. Where'd you get off to? Rhody's been asking after you. Said you told him you'd be back tonight."

Vision turns a glance to the clock, letting out a slow breath as he realizes that it is barely even five in the morning where they are.

"Something has come up…I will be away for another couple nights," he says vaguely.

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Just make sure you're getting that analysis run that I needed, okay?" Tony says distractedly, the sound of power tools running in the background. "Got to go. Talk to you later."

"Goodbye, Mr. Stark," Vision recites, listening for the click of the other line disconnecting before he turns off the screen and sets his phone aside.

Wanda is tucked up tight against him, and although she tries to suppress it, he can feel the anxious little shiver that runs through her. He nuzzles his face into her hair, hugging her tight as he tries to chase away her fears by mere proximity.

"You are safe here," he whispers. "They have no way to find us. I will allow no harm to befall you."

She glances up at him, a sweet, tired smile playing at her lips, and Vision returns the expression tenderly.

"I'll make tea," he offers instead, gently stroking her hair back from her face. "Try to rest for a while longer. It's very early."

Wanda nods, more from deferral than any desire to try for more sleep, and Vision presses a kiss to her forehead before tucking the plush comforter up around her and slipping out of bed.

As he makes his way to the little hotel kitchenette and begins setting up a mug, he can't help another glance back at his beautiful Wanda, stunning even in modest pajamas, makeup-free, and with sleep-mussed hair.

He would do anything to protect her.

And if that means defying the very Accords he signed and fought for not even a year ago…then so be it.


	2. Day 2

"I hate plants."

Vision gave Wanda a pitying look as she let her head fall back against the sofa in the Hufflepuff common room, staring at the ceiling with a little scowl. Her dark hair spilled loose over her shoulders, the young woman having removed the tie from her tight ponytail on Vision's suggestion after complaining of a headache half an hour ago.

They'd only covered five pages since.

"The test won't be that bad, I'm sure," he coaxed. "Professor Banner isn't too strict with grading-"

"Are you kidding? Professor Banner _hates_ me! He'll fail me on principle if nothing else…"

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"I tried to use a growth potion on my mandrake transplants and spilled some on him. He got _huge_ and destroyed half the greenhouse trying to figure out what was going on. He _loathes_ me," she sighed. "Why should I even bother studying?"

"Because you have a test tomorrow," Vision offered with a little smile.

"And I've got that transfiguration quiz tomorrow as well," she whined, sinking low in the plush cushions and grinding the heels of her hands against her eyes as Vision tried to offer a supportive smile. "Why the hell do they all put their tests on the same day? I swear they plan it."

"I'll help you look over your transfiguration notes after we finish going through your Herbology study guide."

The girl let out another groan.

"I would cheat if I wasn't afraid that Professor Romanoff would kill me," she muttered, playing with the trailing end of her green tie. "It's impossible to lie to that woman."

"There's no need to cheat. Your studies will pay off," Vision promised. "Perhaps if we take a break to go for a walk and get something to snack on, and then reconvene once we've had some time to unwind and refocus?"

"Is that your polite way of telling me to take a hike?" Wanda grinned, lolling her head onto her shoulder to look over at him fondly.

Vision blinked at her in confusion, and Wanda let out a little laugh at his expense.

"Yes, Vizh, I'd love to go get some air."

The girl was quick to hop to her feet, brushing imaginary wrinkles from her skirt and slowly stretching her arms up over her head as she shot him a smile. "You coming, or not?"

Vision scrambled to fold all of Wanda's scribbled notes back into her book and get to his feet, following her out of the common room at practically a run as she led the way.

* * *

"Look at the poor guy."

Vision glanced up with a frown at the new, unexpected voice as Wanda went tense beside him. It took him a moment to locate who had spoken, and he felt a little frown tug at his lips as he turned to find a pair of Gryffindor girls giving them saccharine smiles.

Getting picked on wasn't uncommon for him – Hufflepuffs tended to make good targets for teasing, friendly or otherwise – but it never seemed to make it any easier to brush off when it happened. With a sigh he turned his attention back to Wanda, but to his concern, she was still glaring at the girls.

"You have something to say, Gryffindorks?" she growled.

Vision swallowed, reaching to draw her away as the two girls looked off into the distance, pretending that they hadn't heard her.

"Come on, Wanda. It's not worth it," he whispered.

She wavered for a long second, glaring, before relenting with a sigh, taking his hand and letting him lead her away.

"Must be pretty desperate to go to Slytherin looking for friends," one of the girls muttered after him in contempt, purposely loud enough for them to hear.

Vision had planned to ignore the jab.

Wanda, apparently, had other plans.

"On the contrary," she started in a slow, dangerous drawl, stopping up short, and Vision felt himself go tense.

Oh dear.

"Perhaps he goes to Slytherin for friends because he knows whose good side to be on should things come to blows."

"Is that a threat, Maximoff?" the older girl asked with a disbelieving grin as she shot a look at her friend.

"I don't make threats," Wanda replied, her fingers flexing slightly as a wicked grin crept across her dark lips. "I make promises."

"Wanda," Vision pleaded. "Please don't get into another fight for my sake…Headmaster Fury has already warned you about this."

Wanda deflated a bit, and for a second he thought he'd succeeded.

"What's wrong, baby witch?" the younger of the two girls taunted. "Having another magic malfunction?"

"Vizh, do me a favor and wait a bit further ahead. I don't want you to get hit with the splatter."

"Wanda, let's go back to the lounge and finish studying," he pleaded, giving her hand a gentle tug. "You don't want to get stuck cleaning out cauldrons again over some dumb comment…"

The girl hesitated for a long moment, standing her ground in mute fury.

"Wanda," he pleaded again, quietly, as the Gryffindor girls snickered. After another long few seconds of debate, however, she relented.

Vision let out a breath in relief as Wanda gave in with a little scowl, following along at his heels as he strode past the wicked grins of the Gryffindor girls.

Crisis averted, for now.

"Bet your parents were muggles," one of the girls hissed at Wanda as she passed, and Vision bit back a curse as Wanda went tense.

Well, so much for that.

* * *

"It's not fair."

"You _were_ warned…" Vision said apologetically, following a few steps behind Wanda as she stormed down to the Hufflepuff common room like it was her own house's.

"It was only a little hex…"

"An antler-growing hex, a knee-reversal hex , and a tail-growing hex. Combined. On both of them."

"If they're going to act like little monsters, they may as well look the part," she muttered unrepentantly, adjusting her green striped tie viciously before shooting a glare at the door. "Open up."

Vision let out a sigh, moving to tap out a rhythm on one of the barrels to let her in as she pouted.

Headmaster Fury had given her a good, long lecture that Vision had very specifically not been invited to attend, and when she'd finally been released she'd been in a worse mood than before.

Vision watched her slink over to the sofa and collapse into the plush cushions with a sigh, rubbing at her temples. He followed a few paces behind her, slipping onto the couch at her side.

For a long moment he simply watched her in concern, waiting until the lowered her hands back to her lap and turned her gaze to him in question before he moved.

Vision held his arms open, offering a hug, and with a weak smile, Wanda pushed herself upright and tipped forward into his embrace, lithe arms circling his waist.

"I hate when you get yourself in trouble for my sake," he murmured, hugging her close.

"I hate when they pick on you even more," she countered, nuzzling her head beneath his chin. "It's fine…I'll just be really good at cleaning cauldrons by the time I graduate. Assuming I pass Herbology class, that is."

Vision chuckled at that, leaning back a little.

"Then I will simply have to make sure that you pass it. Shall we return to studying?"

"Yeah, I suppose…" she muttered, still fastened tightly around his waist.

When she made no indication of getting up, Vision simply gathered up her notes, leaned back against the sofa, and wrapped an arm back around her.

"Next question: Some of the most well-known uses of Mandrake root include…?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I have never seen/read Harry Potter. =_="


	3. Day 3

It was a good hour before Wanda became aware of the presence beside her.

The low lighting, the sleepless nights, and the anxious worry that had been gnawing at her as she stood guard tirelessly at Pietro's side had lulled her into a near trance, and it wasn't until she looked around the room to stretch her stiff neck that she even noticed him.

She startled a little, turning her attention from the pale, prone form of her brother to the red-skinned synthetic man who was sitting guard at her side, her powers dancing at her fingertips warily.

He was settled comfortably in the seat beside her, replacing the archer – Hawkeye – that had been watching over her since Ultron. Since Sokovia.

Since…

Wanda swallowed hard, pushing her wandering thoughts to the back of her mind. Now was not the time to stress herself with what could have happened. She and her brother were both alive – miraculously – and she couldn't afford to be worrying about what ifs. Not when she had to worry about her brother's wellbeing right now.

The synthetic man – Vision, he'd taken to calling himself – offered her a little smile that was probably meant to be reassuring, and Wanda let out a huff of breath before turning away from him once more.

Pietro was still asleep – had been for the past two days as his body desperately tried to reconstruct the damage from the bullet wounds – and she threaded her fingers gently between his as she pointedly ignored the synthetic man at her side.

Her brother's hand felt over-hot in hers, however, and Wanda frowned a little as she reached for his forehead, testing him for fever.

"His core body temperature is ninety-nine point three degrees Fahrenheit," Vision said, startling her once more. She turned a suspicious glance on him, and the synthetic man offered her another benign smile. "There is no need for concern, it is well within the reasonable body temperature range for a healthy human being."

Wanda blinked at him for a second, off-balanced by the sudden insight into her actions. In theory, it should have been easy enough for anyone to guess what she'd been thinking when she reached for her brother, but having someone comment on what she'd assumed was a private thought was…unsettling.

Feeling self-conscious, Wanda slowly drew her hand back to her lap, letting her gaze fall to the floor.

Perhaps that was why the others looked at her so strangely.

The two of them lapsed into silence once more, Wanda sneaking the occasional glance at the synth.

She still wasn't entirely sure what to make of him.

He was no longer the destructive being that Ultron had intended, although he still held the power to level the world within the gem on his brow. Whatever Thor had done to him in the cradle had apparently purged Ultron's evil from with him. And, it seemed, evil altogether.

She'd seen tranquility and love and a pure, trusting naivety when she'd looked into Vision's head, and it had intrigued her to the point of distraction as they'd prepared to battle Ultron.

Another glance at her brother brought the awful little sick feeling that was _guilt_ back in full force, and not for the first time she wondered if her distraction over the synth had been what landed her brother here in the hospital, fighting for his life.

It was why she had been avoiding Vision ever since he'd saved her.

The synthetic man had been the one to sweep back through the plummeting city to rescue her, plucking her from the midst of her suicide fall to tell her that Pietro had _lived_ and he was there to make sure she lived as well.

Wanda hadn't said a word to him as he'd carried her back to the earth and lowered her to the ground at her brother's side so she could help Clint to desperately staunch the flow of blood from the gunshot wounds, begging her twin to hold on until the medical assistance arrived to take him away.

She had stuck to her brother's side while they transferred him from a jet to an ambulance to a hospital gurney, and finally into a little surgical room that she hadn't been allowed to enter, no matter how much she begged. Vision had remained nearby the whole time, as had the archer, both of them hovering just close enough to make her uncomfortable and watching her in concern as she struggled to hold herself together against the desperate worry that Pietro wouldn't make it after all, and that she'd gotten her hopes up for nothing.

Wanda had been quick to lose the two after that, ducking into the ladies' room to collect her emotions.

She'd only meant to be away for a minute or so.

She had instead wound up breaking down, curled in a corner on the cold tile and sobbing her heart out until the Black Widow had come to check on her almost half an hour later. The assassin hadn't spoken a word, simply ushering her to her feet and walking her back out to where the rest of the Avengers were gathered, a hand resting pointedly on her shoulder - making sure she didn't run.

From there Wanda had been bundled off into a hospital room of her own by the Captain and the Widow, the two of them standing watch as she was checked from head to toe for injury before the doctor had given her some little injection that knocked her out cold.

She'd been woken up by Vision nearly eighteen hours later to hear that her brother was finally out of surgery, and that Clint had been watching over him in her absence.

She hadn't left Pietro's side since.

Wanda let out a slow breath, rubbing her thumb across the back of her brother's hand as she pointedly tried to ignore Vision's concerned stare.

She still couldn't figure out quite why the synthetic man had chosen to stick around the hospital with Clint and Steve instead of going back with the other Avengers yesterday.

Perhaps he'd simply been tasked with taking her out if she proved to be a problem. After all, it wasn't like the rest of them were any match for her.

"If I may…"

The voice startled her, gentle and slow as it was, and Wanda snapped her attention over to the synth with a sharp jerk of her head, feeling nerves prickle along her spine.

If the man was surprised by her reaction he didn't show it, merely contemplating her for a long second before speaking.

"Have you eaten recently, Wanda?"

The bold use of her first name made her bristle a little, and Wanda narrowed her eyes at him.

"What business is it of yours what my eating habits are?" she snapped; voice low so as not to perturb her brother. As if the boy were merely sleeping, and not practically in a coma.

Vision was not put off by her aggression, and instead offered a mild little smile to her, his lips curling up at the corners.

"I am merely concerned for your wellbeing. You look awfully pale, and I can see your fingers trembling when you raise your hands."

Wanda self consciously tucked her grip more tightly around her brother's hand.

"Perhaps I could get you something?" the man offered gently. "Some tea, perhaps? Scrambled eggs, or some toast?"

"Not hungry," she replied quietly, looking away.

"Tea, then?" Vision offered again, and Wanda hesitated for a long moment before relenting with a sigh, giving the android a little nod.

A look of relief flashed across his features at that, and Wanda let out her own breath in relief as he left the room to fetch her some tea.

Alone at last, Wanda allowed her carefully guarded expression to fall away, reaching a trembling hand to stroke her brother's hair back from his face.

He so very much looked like he was just sleeping, and it broke her heart to think that he might never wake. Taking a slow, trembling breath to calm herself once more, Wanda tightened her grip on her brother's limp hand.

"Please wake up, _Petya_ ," she murmured. "I need you here with me."

There was no response from her brother – not that she'd really expected one – and Wanda let her head lean on the mattress at his side in defeat as she tried to choke back an exhausted yawn.

She was utterly spent.

Slowly, Wanda allowed her eyes to flutter shut.

Maybe just for a moment…Just for twenty seconds or so, she would rest. She could wake up again in a bit when Vision returned, and resume her guard over Pietro. Maybe it would even be enough to refresh her, so she could be alert against any more surprises. It would only be for a moment.

She carefully let herself go limp against the thin hospital mattress, her hand still clinging to her brother.

It was pathetically easy to talk herself into letting her guard down, and Wanda was already well on her way to being asleep by the time her planned 'twenty seconds' rolled around.

She was only vaguely aware of Vision entering the room again a few minutes later and gently calling her name, her mind already drifting as slumber pulled at her and dreams rolled over her thoughts like fog.

As she dozed off at her brother's side, the last thing she remembered was the feel of someone draping a blanket over her shoulders and murmuring "sleep well, Wanda" against her ear.

When she woke hours later to the feel of her brother stirring himself awake, Vision was gone.

But she still had his yellow cloak wrapped about her shoulders.


	4. Day 4

"Welcome, everyone, to the hundredth annual Hero Games!"

The replying roar of the audience was deafening.

Wanda tuned out the noise, her eyes scanning the crowd.

Hundreds of faces, blurring into a writhing mass of garish, muddled color before her, pulsed out a constant drone of excited noise.

Beside her, Pietro shifted nervously, his expression set in a defensive scowl.

Wanda reached out and took his hand, trying to calm him. Trying to steady herself.

Her brother's grip tightened around her fingers, and she forced a little smile.

She hated that he was here, and yet she couldn't help but be immensely relieved that she was not standing up before the crowd alone.

She was not her continent's only sacrifice.

Every year, the collective countries from each continent were required to send a representative to the games.

An _enhanced_ representative.

For the hundredth year of hosting these gladiator-style fights to the death, however, they had decided to double the stakes…by doubling the number of contestants. Instead of the traditional one enhanced individual per continent, they were each sending two.

Pietro had volunteered the second her name was read out as Europe's first contender.

She'd had a fit, of course, once the two of them were no longer standing in front of a crowd - screaming at Pietro that he was an idiot, that he'd thrown his life away because only one of them could walk out of the arena alive, that even if by some miracle they were the last two standing, one of them would have to sacrifice the other in order to escape.

And then he'd explained his plan to her.

They would fight together, until they were the last two standing, then play up the final sacrifice between the two of them, and Wanda would use her powers to destroy the vitals monitor that they would have fastened around his wrist, and he would play dead.

Then, as soon as they opened the doors to let her free, he would speed out before they could catch him.

They would both live.

At least…that was the plan.

"Wanda," Pietro hissed, nudging her to get her attention and snapping her out of her train of thought as the two contestants beside them stepped forward, representing Asia.

Wanda tuned out the names – they were likely going to die soon, so it didn't really matter – and took a slow breath to steady her nerve for what came next.

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, from Europe!" the announcer called out as they took their spots in the lineup, Pietro glaring viciously out over the crowd and Wanda tucked up against his side in a gesture that would appear shy.

Playing at helpless to hide the truth of her abilities.

"A very special treat this year, because for the first time, we have twins going into the arena!" the announcer called, drawing more noise from the crowd. "Can two heads really think better than one? Which one will be the last one standing? Who knows, but we're about to find out! And up next in the lineup we have another special treat, this time from the United States of America."

Wanda released a slow breath as the attention switched away from them, the miserably hot spotlight darting a few feet over to shine where the final two contestants were going to step forward.

"-ake sure you don't call them 'robots'… I present Ultron and Vision, from North America!"

Wanda shot a glance at the two beings who approached next, her eyes widening in surprise.

The first one – Ultron – was a gleaming chrome from head to toe, taller than a man and with eyes that glowed sharply above jutting cheek plates. His body was human only in shape, his features those of a machine, and his body parts were made up of open joints and metal plating.

The other one – Vision – had an appearance far closer to that of a man, his face gently curving around distinct features, and his skin seemed to be a mix of gleaming metal veins etching across red skin, rippling over muscles.

Vision offered them a wan, friendly smile.

Ultron met their eyes one at a time, sized them up, and then gave her a grin that chilled her to the bone, dipping his head a little in greeting.

Wanda made a point of looking back out over the crowd, and avoiding his gaze for the rest of the announcement ceremony.

* * *

"What do you want?"

Pietro's sharp demand startled Wanda from her training, and she looked up in surprise to find North America's chrome-finished contestant walking up to them, his pace an easy swagger. She shot a warning scowl in his direction, moving to stand closer to her brother on pure instinct.

"No need to look so frightened, little rabbits," Ultron started, giving them a once-over as he approached.

"State your business," Pietro demanded again, and the robot _grinned_.

"I have reason to believe that it would be to our advantage to team up," Ultron purred, pacing around the two of them like a predator sizing up his prey. Pietro curled his lips in a snarl, moving to stand more fully between Ultron and her.

Out of view, Wanda conjured a wisp of scarlet to her fingertips.

"And should we accept this team-up," she started slowly. "What guarantee have we that you are not simply using this as a means to destroy us?"

"That, my dear little witch," Ultron grinned, and Wanda's breath choked in her throat as he rose to his full height, towering over the pair of them. "You will simply have to take my word on. Are you interested?"

"What's in it for us?" her twin snapped.

"Protection. Safety in numbers. An ally to help make sure you're some of the last few contestants standing…and guaranteed asylum from me until we are the final three in the arena. It really is a wise choice."

"Any what good does this do you?" Pietro asked with a frown.

"It affords me many of the same benefits as it would you, as well as a chance to see that my competition is well and truly taken out."

"Which means you would be making the calls on who to go after, I assume?" Wanda muttered.

"Of course. You two are practically children, and I was designed by my creator to be the world's greatest weapon. It really only makes sense," Ultron drawled, waving away her question with a hand. "Now…do we have a deal?"

"Fine," Pietro shrugged before she could speak, not cowed in the slightest as he tipped his head back to meet Ultron's gaze. "We'll play your game until we are the final three standing. After that, you're on your own."

"I'm glad to hear that," the robot replied with a sickening grin. "I'll see you both in the arena tomorrow."

Wanda slowly brought her gaze up to her brother as he took hold of her arm, finding him staring after Ultron with his eyes narrowed.

"As soon as we get down to the final four contestants," Pietro murmured to her, voice low and dangerous, " _we kill him_."

* * *

They were an unstoppable force.

The other contestants had fallen prey one after another: to her nightmares, to her brother's relentless and blindingly fast hits, and then ultimately to Ultron's cold, uncaring hands as he systematically killed every incapacitated player that the twins left in their wake.

Wanda had assumed that the Vision would be on the "team" with them, but it quickly became clear that Ultron couldn't _stand_ Vision. In fact, it was only the android's extraordinary ability to hide that had kept him alive so far.

Ultron had sent Pietro and Wanda after Vision on more than one occasion, but the red-skinned contender always seemed to give them the slip, like he was playing some game of hide-and-seek with them, giving them a glimpse of him before he vanished into thin air.

He had actually caught her alone one evening, as she'd gone to wash the dirt off her body in the river, but to her surprise he hadn't attacked. Vision had dematerialized through a tree before she could get a hold of him with her powers, and she had been left standing in the middle of a clearing, crimson smoke pulsing around her like a lightning storm, ready to strike as she tried to find him.

The next thing she'd known, she had been grabbed from behind in a surprisingly gentle hold as a deep, accented voice murmured "please don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you" against her ear. She'd thrashed her way free and he'd allowed her to escape without a fuss, standing patiently as she whirled to face him.

"I'm here to warn you about Ultron," Vision had warned gently before she could strike, some emotion that she couldn't put a name to shining in his blue eyes. "He will not hesitate to kill you. Please…be careful. And do not trust him."

With that, he'd left.

And for some reason Wanda hadn't even thought about trying to attack him until long after he'd vanished from her sight.

* * *

"Pietro!" Wanda screamed in horror as the boy sank to the ground, his chest torn open by bullet holes.

She was at his side in a second, her hands shaking as she tried to bundle up his shirt against the seeping blood, terror freezing her to the bone.

It was just as Vision had said.

Ultron had turned on them.

They'd followed his plan to lure some of the remaining players into a trap - a plan where she and her brother would play bait to draw the others into a ravine, and then Ultron was supposed to come up behind them and destroy them.

But when they had lured their prey into position and had sent the signal, there had been no reply. Ultron didn't come in as backup, and as a result, the two of them had been quickly backed into a corner by three of the other contestants. They'd held their own for a long minute or two, and then Ultron had showed up at last, right before the others could break through their defenses.

For a second Wanda had been relieved.

And then she'd seen the weapon.

Ultron had gunned them all down on the spot, Wanda's powers the only thing saving her from the deadly spray until he ran out of bullets.

But Pietro had been too far away for her to shield.

She sobbed his name over and over, desperately trying to keep the flow of blood from seeping out of his body as he slowly choked out her name, his eyes going dull.

He let out a breath that gurgled with blood, his head lolling to the side.

And just like that, he was gone.

Wanda _screamed_.

Ultron tried to rush her while she was distracted, but it didn't matter because in her despair, Wanda lost control of her powers in a devastating burst of scarlet that tore the robot apart, down to the smallest scrap, the red chaos flickering its way up the walls of the ravine to shake stones loose as she wailed.

Her twin was gone. Pietro had been _killed_.

She was all alone.

There, surrounded by the bodies of almost every remaining contestant in the arena and a hurricane of wild chaos magic, Wanda curled into a little ball at her brother's side to cry.

* * *

It was a good hour until she was found.

Wanda glanced up when she heard the soft sound of footsteps behind her in time to see Vision approaching, his eyes taking in the scene with a pity that made her physically _ache._

They were the last two contestants now.

Her and Vision, because Pietro was dead.

She didn't bother trying to draw herself up or look threatening. There was no point anymore.

Vision stopped a foot or two away from her, sparing a sad glance at her brother's body before meeting her gaze.

"Wanda," he whispered, voice fading to nothing as he found himself at a loss for words.

But he didn't need to speak for her to know what he was asking.

"Go ahead," she said softly, stroking her hand one final time through her brother's hair before slowly standing to face him. "Kill me."

The android seemed taken aback for a second, but was quick to school his features into something neutral, steadily meeting her gaze.

Vision stared back at her in silence for a long minute before he reached out, his hand gently settling with his thumb pressed to her jaw and his fingers trailing down the side of her neck, hot where they brushed her skin. He didn't move – he simply stared back at her, testing her resolve.

"Do it," Wanda said after a long moment.

Something hardened in Vision's expression, his eyes shifting in thoughtful calculation, and then with a blur of red and a burst of pain against her temple, Wanda's world went black.

* * *

Vision caught Wanda as she crumpled to the ground, unconscious from his strike.

It seemed a terrible tragedy to let such a strong and beautiful creature die, especially when she'd already suffered so much...he just couldn't bring himself to grant her wish.

Gently gathering her up in his arms, he paused only long enough to take one final look around before leaving the bloody scene behind them as he lifted her from the ravine. The path to the river was taken from memory alone, his eyes on the girl that he'd tried to save from this very fate.

He'd observed her from a distance since the start of the competition, a compassion in her big, green eyes that he knew would serve her no good in a fight to the death. This had only been further proven when she merely incapacitated the other challengers – it had been Ultron dealing the death strikes.

There was something about her that fascinated him, he just hadn't had any real opportunity to get to know her.

Perhaps if luck was on his side, he could.

Vision hovered over to the river, Wanda's limp form cradled gently in his arms.

Settling the girl in a patch of soft grass a little further up the bank, he was quick to tear a piece of cloth from the hem of his shirt and soak it in the cool, clear water.

He crossed back to settle himself on the ground beside her, using the scrap of cloth to gently clean the blood and grime from her pale skin.

As he suspected, it wasn't long before his actions were noticed by the gamemaster.

The little fizzle of a hologram display stating up was his only warning before he found himself looking at a flickering, iridescent copy of the man in charge of the games – the Grandmaster himself.

"Hey, there…buddy," the man started, trying to give off a friendly vibe but only managing to come across as scattered and uncertain. "What, ah…what are you doing? What's this-" he paused to wave his hand in Wanda's general direction "What's this about?"

"She is injured," Vision replied smoothly, his eyes rotating a little as he scanned his knowledge for the Grandmaster's behavior patterns, trying to analyze his thought process and anticipate it.

Trying to play him at his own game.

"I see that. I, ah-…no, I see that. What _I'm_ wondering, my crimson-complexioned friend, is _why_ you are tending her injuries. Especially seeing as you are one person away from being crowned champion," the man hinted, giving Vision a big smile and nodding his head, as if trying to clue him in that killing Wanda was what he was supposed to be doing right now. "And an unconscious person, at that. Cause you've already knocked her out. I mean, if you're gonna break her neck or shoot her full of lasers or whatever it is you supposedly do, ah…now would probably be the time to do it."

"I have no desire to kill her," Vision replied quietly, cleaning the last of the dirt from the girl's face before moving to rinse the cloth through with fresh water and turning his attention to her blood-smeared arms.

"Okay, well…what about when she wakes up? Hm? She's probably going to want you _very_ dead."

"I have reason to doubt that," Vision said, tearing another piece of cloth from his shirt to tie around a bleeding gash on her forearm. "She seems to be done fighting as well."

"You…have reason to doubt that," the Grandmaster repeated slowly. "So…wait, a minute…let me get this straight…you don't want to fight her, and you think she doesn't want to fight you…so you're both going to stand around here until you run out of food or get eaten by a bear or something?"

"Our powers can cancel each other out. Any fight will result in a standstill. She has lost her desire to fight, and I have no desire to fight her," Vision explained, not bothering to raise his eyes from where he was tenderly caring for the girl's injuries. "There will be no winner this year. We both wish to withdraw."

"There's got to be a winner," the man said slowly, as if explaining it to someone very stupid. "I can't have a contest without a winner…that defeats the whole _purpose_ of having a contest! I mean, if there wasn't a winner, I could just pick five or so people every year to line up against a wall and shoot."

The hologram was pacing – something Vision might have found amusing had he not been otherwise distracted.

"We are both done fighting," he repeated. "You will have to end your contest without a winner, provided that there is no way for two people to win simultaneously."

"Now hold on a minute there," the Grandmaster said, pausing mid-step to turn around slowly. "What's this about two winners?"

"The only other option," Vision shrugged. "If there were two winners instead of one, it would solve your problem. You could perchance even announce it as a special occurrence due to the hundredth game. Double the contestants, double the winners. But alas, that is not my call to make. The rules state that there will be one winner."

"Well hang on a darn second, I'm the one making the rules around here, aren't I?" the man asked, spreading his hands and looking around as if trying to find someone who would agree with him.

"I suppose," Vision hummed.

"And who's to say that I can't change the rules to allow two winners? Given that this is a special occasion and all…"

"That it is."

"And that everybody put two contestants in…I mean it would only make sense to get two winners out, right? Double the stakes, double the fun?"

"A very wise deduction."

"And I'm sure you and the little witch wouldn't mind a little rules-switchup this late in the game, hm?"

"I would not be adverse to it, and she is rather unconscious right now so her opinion will have to be negated for the moment."

"Then we'll have two winners…given one provision," the man smiled.

"And what provision would this be?" Vision asked slowly, cradling Wanda's limp form close.

"That you two become my personal guards."

Vision tilted his head a little, calculating risk and figuring that this particular condition was not worth arguing at the moment.

"…I find this agreeable. We will accept."

"Excellent," the man grinned, clasping his hands together with a clap before giving Vision a saucy wink. "Wait right here. I'll see you two lovebirds in a few."

The hologram vanished, and Vision turned his attention to the unconscious girl once more.

"You're going to be all right" he whispered to her. "I promise. Just hold on a while longer for me. We're going to get out of here."

The sound of an explosion jerked his attention up, but it was merely fireworks, announcing the Grandmaster's new decree. They were both going to be spared.

Vision let out a slow breath, gathering the girl in his arms once more as he hovered to his feet.

The distant chords of victory music began to echo out over the arena as overhead the whirring beat of a helicopter's blades chopped through the air.

The retrieval team had come to pick them up.

"I promise," he whispered one more time, drawing Wanda tight against his chest as they were surrounded by a blinding shower of light from above, the wind whipping at their hair and clothes. "Everything is going to be okay."


	5. Day 5

"Be very careful now, Peter, don't stir it in…just fold it over. Like that…very gently. Make sure you scrape the edges of the-VISION!" Wanda yelped, and the synthetic man glanced up, blinking in confusion as the little bottle he was starting to tip over was pulled from his hands by a wisp of scarlet. "That's peppermint extract! The recipe asks for almond!"

"Ah…I had not noticed," the synth replied sheepishly, reaching for the correct bottle and making a point of checking the label before measuring a teaspoon of it into the running mixer that he'd apparently been tasked with guarding.

Immediately after, Peter managed to flick the spatula too hard on one of his "folds," sending a splatter of the mix across the counter, but before Wanda could turn to scold the boy, a timer went off and she instead whirled to go check the stove.

Peter huffed a little breath in relief, casually scooting the bowl over to hide the splatter, and Clint snickered as Wanda shouted "wipe it up, don't hide it!" without bothering to turn around.

The little witch carefully drew one of the sheet trays from within the oven, setting it on the counter nearby before summoning a spatula to her hand in a flick of red power and prying one of the cookies up to check the bottom.

"Five more minutes," she muttered, directing the spatula back to the counter with a flick of her wrist and nearly smacking it into Vision, who was absently reaching for the object in question. Clint smiled fondly as Wanda stuffed the cookies back in the oven and tossed the door shut, turning around as she dusted her hands off and advancing on Peter once more.

Before she could make it to the boy's side, however, the mixer began making a strange noise, and Wanda hissed out a Russian curse as Vision took a sharp step back with his hands in the air, the spatula stuck through the middle of the paddle and whipping around the bowl at a dangerous speed.

"Turn it off, turn it off!" she yelped as Vision tried in vain to grab for the spatula, the girl attempting to dodge around him and unplug the mixer. The oven timer went off again as she did, and Wanda spared a glance and a small flick of movement in that direction, opening the oven door to draw out a different sheet tray as she groped for the mixer plug, her powers providing a flickering barrier from the splatter of dough coming from the mixer bowl.

Peter, who was staring at the mixer instead of holding the bowl he was stirring, managed to stir it right off the counter top, and leaped to catch it with a yelp, knocking over a bag of flour as he did. Wanda managed to catch that before it fell, but when she swept her arm back to wrap her powers around it she startled Vision into dropping the little bottle of almond extract, the android ducking sharply to catch it and nearly tripping her up in the process.

Wanda finally managed to get her hand around the cord of the mixer and yank it from the wall, sagging against the counter in relief for a long second before another timer went off and she was whirling around again.

"Vizh, get that spatula out of there. Peter, make sure you mix that all the way through!"

With that, she scampered off toward the oven, a trail of scarlet ebbing in her wake.

Clint watched the three of them struggle for another long moment, a fond smile creeping across his face, before he decided to announce his presence.

"Hey, kiddo," Clint called with a grin, crossing his arms and leaning back against the doorframe as if he'd just walked up as opposed to having watched from the sidelines for the past five minutes. "How's it going?"

Wanda blinked over at him owlishly, her powers hovering a number of items around her head like the world's strangest still-life.

"It's…going," she replied slowly, her eyes roving traitorously toward where a pile of reject cookies had been stacked into a mound of burnt, broken dough and melted frosting on a plate in the corner. "I am certainly not used to instructing two sets of hands while baking."

"Seems like you've got it mostly under control," Clint smiled, nodding past her. "Though I think Vision's about to lose an egg."

Wanda's brows drew in confusion as she turned to look, and she gasped a quick breath when she caught sight of the egg in question rolling off the edge of the counter, knocked into movement by Vision's elbow. She caught it with a twist of her fingers, scarlet magic hovering the egg an inch above the floor where it had nearly smashed, and she let out a slow breath in relief as Clint provided a quiet round of applause.

"Need some extra help?" he offered as she carefully began to direct the various items suspended by her powers into their proper locations.

" _Please_ ," she nodded. "Could you watch Peter and those pots on the stove? I'll take Vision and keep an eye on the oven."

"Sure thing," Clint nodded, rolling up his sleeves and moving to stand behind the boy as Wanda scurried over to Vision's side to help him finish extracting the spatula from the mixer and measure out the remaining ingredients.

Peter offered Clint a weak smile as he peered over the boy's shoulder.

"So what does she have you working on?"

"I think she called them morangs…?"

"Meringues. Yeah, that looks about right," Clint hummed, glancing back at Wanda and feeling a smile creep across his face as she finally gave up on her flustered explanation to Vision of how to crack an egg and instead took hold of his hands to just _show_ him.

"She said as soon as I folded in the raspberry, I could put it in a bag and start the plumbing?"

"….kid, are you even speaking English?" Clint laughed.

"I said he could fill a pastry bag with the mix and start piping," Wanda called over to him, rolling her eyes. She still had hold of Vision's hands, and the android blinked down at her in mild confusion as she stopped what she was doing to turn and talk to Clint, his fingers still in her hold. "Little swirls, about an inch wide, and an inch apart on the sheet tray. Don't make them too big or they won't cook through properly."

Peter tilted his head a little, his face scrunched up in confusion, and the little witch let out a sigh.

"Clint, if you could-" Wanda started, making to gesture at him but getting stopped up short by Vision's arm hitting the end of his reach. The girl glanced back in confusion, seeming to realize for the first time that she'd been holding on to the synthetic man the entire time, and Clint had to bite back a laugh as she all but jumped away from Vision, releasing his hands as she blushed as red as her dress.

"I can handle this," he reassured her with a chuckle. "You just make sure Vision doesn't mix up the ingredients for that recipe."

The little witch sent him a grateful glance, moving quickly back to Vision but making a point of _not touching him_ as she hovered at his side, almost but not quite brushing up against his arm.

Clint only just barely kept his smirk to himself as Peter rolled his eyes at her, muttering "who does she think she's fooling…?"

Wanda either didn't hear the comment, or made a point of ignoring it.

"All right, kid," Clint said, leaving the little witch to her awkward not-flirting as he turned his attention once more to Peter's assigned project. "You got that all mixed up?"

"I think so. It's mostly the same color."

"All right," he nodded, glancing around. "Then I'll get a bag and you can start scooping the fluff in there. Wanda? Where'd you put the pastry bags?"

The girl didn't reply, or even make any motion to acknowledge that she'd heard him, but the drawer beside him pulled out on its own a second later, the handle glowing a faint red.

"Got it. Thanks."

He was quick to dig the little plastic cones out, struggling for a long moment as he tried to figure out just how the hell the tip was supposed to fasten into it.

"Need some help there?" a new voice said with a snicker, and Clint glanced up to find Natasha standing in the doorway.

Wanda glanced up as well, offering Natasha a strained smile.

"I mean, we could probably use the help, yes, but I'm not sure how many of us are going to fit in here," she shrugged apologetically.

Clint simply grinned.

"Nah, I'm sure we've got plenty of room," he said as casually as he could, moving over a fraction to "make room" for the red-haired assassin beside him and herding Vision a half-pace closer to Wanda as he did.

Clint surrendered the pastry bag to Nat just as Wanda was finishing up whatever was in the mixing bowl, and he took a moment to watch her and Vision move in sync to spread the mix in the bottom of a tin.

Behind him, Natasha finally got the bag to cooperate, and was holding it open for Peter to spoon meringue fluff into. Clint re-positioned to look over Wanda's shoulder as she directed Vision on how to smooth out the top of the batter so it would all bake evenly before she picked up the pan.

"Here, I've got it," Clint offered as Wanda turned around with the pan in hand, ready to put it into the oven. Clint relieved her of the tin before she could comment, moving so he stood between her and the stove. When he opened the door, however, he made a point of backing up overly far, forcing Wanda to squeeze a few steps closer to Vision.

She was giving him a suspicious look when he straightened up again, and he did his best to bite back a grin as he asked "Yes?"

"Make sure you set a timer," was all Wanda said in reply, pointedly refusing to meet Vision's confused stare as his hands hovered on either side of her, uncertain of where to let them rest.

Clint obediently set the stove timer for Wanda, scooting past her on his way back to where Peter and Natasha were working to pipe little swirls of meringue onto a sheet tray.

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

Clint looked up with a grin as Scott poked his head into the room, the man taking a deep breath as a smile crept across his face.

"That smells good…Can I help?"

"We can put you on dishes," Natasha suggested, glancing around to assess the state of things.

"I'll take it," Scott grinned, and Wanda frowned a little as he stepped fully into the doorway.

"I don't think that-"

"Yeah, come on in," Clint interrupted Wanda, waving Scott into the kitchen and edging back so that he could fit, conveniently trapping Wanda in a corner with Vision.

"Clint," she scolded slightly, leaning to see around Vision as she kept her arms tucked up against herself. "There's not _room…_ "

"Sure there is. We'll all just have to get real friendly, is all."

"This is absurd…" she muttered, glancing aside as Scott scooted closer to the sink, pinning Vision in the corner more tightly.

"Hey Vision, could you dig the cinnamon out of that cabinet?" Natasha asked, throwing a wink at Clint when the synth had to practically put his arms around Wanda to do so, causing the girl to flush scarlet once more.

"Clint!"

"What?" he grinned, allowing Vision to hand the cinnamon shaker to Natahsa before he turned to slip the tray of meringues into the oven, "accidentally" bumping Vision into Wanda.

The synthetic man caught himself, his arms braced on the counter on either side of the girl, and he blinked down at her for a long second at a loss as she shrank down a little, flustered.

"Mmm…Something smells good in here."

Wanda looked up in vague despair as Steve showed up at the doorway, and Clint wasted no time waving him in.

"Come join us. The more the merrier!"

"There is no way he is going to-" she started, but Steve was already edging his way into the little kitchen space, taking up the remaining room over by Peter and Natasha. "Oh my God…"

Everybody was now trapped in what was basically a standstill, handing ingredients and mixing bowls to one another to avoid having to move around.

"Clint, you are out of your mind," Wanda said, shaking her head at him as she tried to worm her way out of the corner without too obviously pressing up against Vision's chest.

"Crowded kitchens around the holidays are the best," he grinned, watching Wanda give up with a sigh, leaning her forehead against Vision's solar plexus.

"You are evil, Barton."

"Yup!" he grinned as he squeezed his way back toward Peter and Natasha, entirely unrepentant. "You can thank me for it later."

And to his amusement, she didn't disagree.


	6. Day 6

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Not absolutely, but there were traces of hCG in the blood test we ran for her. It's unlikely to be anything else."

"Damnit…"

Secretary Ross glanced at the security feed for the prisoners with a frown as the guards attempted to settle in the latest additions to The Raft. The prisoners were putting up a minimal fuss as they were led to their cells and locked inside, but thankfully weren't causing any trouble, which he was immensely grateful for.

He was well aware that his soldiers didn't stand a chance against any of them.

"So what exactly does this mean?" he asked, turning his attention back to the man standing behind him. The doctor shifted a little in response, clearing his throat almost nervously.

"Unfortunately, it means that the drugs we had prepared to keep her docile are no longer an option."

"Well. Shit."

Ross glanced back to the monitor with a frown, his eyes quickly finding the girl in question among the many screens.

So far, Maximoff had been surprisingly quiet and cooperative, even when the guards had stuffed her in a straitjacket to keep her from using her powers, but ultimately that didn't mean anything. She could just be biding her time until they let their guard down.

After his previous experience with enhanced, he couldn't afford to risk it.

Ross sighed, rubbing a temple.

"Does she know?"

"No, Sir," the doctor replied. "We didn't tell her what the blood samples were needed for, and I suspect that she hasn't even missed her menstrual cycle yet. She has no idea."

"Fabulous," he muttered sourly. "We have any idea who the father is?"

"Likely one of the other Avengers. They're the only ones we have record of her spending time with, and Stark kept her under house arrest like you asked for the week preceding her incarceration, which is when it would've had to have happened."

"When can we test for sure?"

"Eight weeks, with a blood test."

"Eight _weeks_?"

"Absolute earliest."

Ross muttered a curse under his breath.

"So what the hell are we supposed to do with her now?"

"That depends on if you decide to allow it."

"…allow it?" he asked hesitantly.

"There are, of course, _other_ options," the man said slowly, turning the pages on his clipboard until he had one displaying a paragraph of text and some neat little lines for signatures at the bottom. "At this stage, it's really little more than a mass of cells. She would never know if something…went wrong."

Ross felt his eyebrows climbing as he turned to face the doctor, and the man offered out the clipboard to him with a pen.

"In fact, the drug mixture we had prepared for her would likely be enough to do it. I would just need you to sign off that you've allowed the procedure in the name of public safety and we'll get the first dose in her this afternoon."

"And you can promise me that this isn't going to turn into a lawsuit?"

"She doesn't even know she's carrying it, how will she know that it's gone?" the doctor asked with a little grin. "All you'd have to do is sign."

Ross took the pen, but slowly turned his gaze back to Maximoff.

It would be so easy…some chemicals in her food or water, or even administered as an injection, and they could simply kill the child before she even realized she was pregnant. There would be no second generation of enhanced running around causing havoc.

It was the smart option.

But some traitorous little part of him was curious…

What if they let her carry it to term?

Would the child inherit her powers?

How would her enhancement react to that of Rogers or Barnes or whoever it was she'd gotten knocked up by?

Would the baby even develop properly?

Or would her enhancements prove to be non-heritable, and the child completely normal as a result?

His curiosity was burning at him, piquing the same interest that had him chasing down the super soldier serum with Banner all those years ago, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to know.

"Sir?" the doctor asked, and Ross shook himself from his thoughts to turn and address the man.

"Find me another method to control her," he instructed, pushing the papers back toward the doctor. "One that won't risk the health of the baby. I'm going to let her keep it."

"Sir…are you certain that's wise?"

"I'm interested in how this will go. No other enhanced on record has conceived – this will be a first. And besides," he replied with a wry grin, watching the girl test her restraints through the security feed. "Who am I to take her unborn child away from her?"

"If you're certain," the doctor replied slowly, skepticism heavy in his tone.

"I am," he nodded. "So with that in mind, what else can be done to control her powers?"

"I suppose if we used a modified taser to give her a localized shock and kept the voltage reasonably low…" the man mused. "It would be enough to break her concentration but have little to no effect on the fetus."

"Make it happen," Ross said, folding his hands behind his back as he watched Maximoff curl up in the corner of her cell and blink big, frightened eyes up at the security camera. "And have the UN send someone to keep an eye on her through the pregnancy. Monitor her health and such."

"Will that be all, Sir?"

"Oh, and have someone get Stark on the phone," he mused, thinking back to the airport battle and the one red-skinned Avenger he'd found cradling the little witch in his arms while they waited for authorities to arrive and arrest her. "I have some questions to ask about his…robot."

If the doctor was surprised by this he didn't show it, simply bowing his head in deferral when Ross followed that up with a curt "You're dismissed" and collecting his things to leave.

"And doctor…" Ross called just before the man left the room, making him pause in the doorway to glance back over a shoulder.

"Sir?"

"This stays between us," he said slowly, fixing the man with a _look_.

The other man raised a brow in question.

"What about Maximoff?"

Ross turned back to the video feed with a shrug.

"Let her figure it out on her own. The less we do to unsettle her, the better. Especially until we figure out how to safely regulate her powers."

"And if she asks us about it?" the man prodded. "How do I reply?"

"Just ask her _why_ she would think that. The reaction should be _incredibly_ telling."

The doctor shot him a smile at that, nodding again in farewell before leaving the room.

Ross turned his attention to the video feed one last time, watching the girl finally seem to settle herself tucked away in the corner, and he let out a slow breath.

"Get comfortable, Maximoff," he muttered. "You're going to be here for a good long while."

...

Barely a week later, Steve Rogers proved him wrong.

* * *

 **Author'** **s** **Note:** I suspect that Wanda might be pregnant in Infinity War. Like a good 88% sure. This is a sort of what-if scenario for if the conception had happened right in the middle of Civil War and she found out about it later on.  



	7. Day 7

Vision had won her the sheep at a fair.

It had been at one of those "knock over the cans" games that was usually rigged, but with Vision's strength and computer-accuracy it didn't matter. Five dollars, three balls, nine cans toppled flawlessly from the shelf, and the prize was his.

Wanda had picked the sheep - a monstrous, fluffy, cream-colored thing with big dark glass-bead eyes and a little red bow tied around its neck - and Vision had grinned like a fool as he presented it to her.

Wanda had carried it with her for the remainder of the fair, snuggled up against her chest, and when they had all returned to the compound that night she'd curled up around it to fall asleep.

The plush had hardly left her side since.

Occasionally, if Wanda was having a bad day, they would find her sitting in the common area, snacking on junk food in front of the television with the sheep sitting in her lap or hugged tight in her arms.

She'd named the sheep "Natalia" to Natasha's utter frustration, citing that "Romanov" was a breed of domestic Russian sheep, and that the assassin should feel flattered to have another namesake besides Clint's youngest son. Natasha did not share this particular opinion, however Clint thought it was hilarious, and so despite the assassin's protests, the name had stuck.

The plush very quickly became a common sight around the compound, to the point that the others also began to address it by name (save for Natasha who still refused to call it anything other than 'sheep') and they would all take turns returning it to Wanda when she inevitably left Natalia lying around somewhere.

Vision never failed to puff out his chest a little at the sight of the sheep, especially when Wanda was carrying it around or snuggling with it.

Everyone had been informed multiple times that Vision had been the one to win it for her, either by Wanda or by Vision himself, but they would all just smile and nod as if they'd never been told before, sharing knowing glances with one another over the two's heads.

Then the split had happened.

The evening Wanda had left, after his density normalized and he had dragged himself out of the hole in the compound floor, Vision had retrieved the sheep from the living room sofa and set it up against the pillows on Wanda's bed, nestled gently into place. He had fixed the ribbon around its neck so that it was tied in a neat bow, then the synth had gently closed over the door to her room and refused to so much as go down that hallway for days.

After the rogue Avengers had been arrested, Vision couldn't even bring himself to stay alone in the compound and had moved in with Tony and Rhody at the Tower, leaving Natalia in Wanda's room, untouched. For the first few days, he didn't even think about the sheep.

By the time a week had gone by with no sign of her returning, however, Vision began to find himself drawn back to the compound, and back to her room where the sheep was waiting all alone for Wanda to come home.

He returned to the compound one evening almost two weeks later, when Tony pretending like the other team was never a part of their group had finally become too sickening for him to stand, phasing his way past the security and searching out the little plush.

The sheep hadn't moved an inch from where he'd set it, dark eyes staring hopefully off into the wall as it waited for Wanda's return, and Vision was caught with an odd swell of emotion that he could only identify as _hurt_ because he had no words that could describe the jagged pain caused by not seeing Wanda there.

Vision moved after a long few moments, gathering the little plush into his arms as gently as if it were made of spun glass, and settled himself into the sheep's place on Wanda's bed, cradling it gently in his arms.

Vision did not return to the tower with Tony and Rhody that evening, or even in the following few days.

He simply sat there on her bed, for hours at a time, staring off into the wall and clutching her sheep to his chest, wondering what the ache was that he felt in his synthetic heart.

* * *

It was almost a year before Steve's team returned to the compound again, with promise of Tony's team on their way to join them and plans to start over all together as one big, happy, and likely still slightly dysfunctional team.

With plans to make it _work_ this time.

Their rooms and all of their belongings had been left untouched while they were gone, like they hadn't ever left. It was as if the place had been in stasis, waiting for them to get back.

Save for one thing.

The first evening after their return, Steve found Wanda curled up on the sectional in the living room, looking about ten seconds from bursting into tears. When he'd asked her what was wrong, lowering himself onto the sofa beside her, she'd murmured that Natalia was missing.

Wanda explained that she had already checked the entire compound, but there had been no sign of the sheep anywhere.

It was gone.

"I'm sure she'll turn up," Steve had soothed, giving the girl a one-armed hug. "Just give it some time."

* * *

When Wanda came down to dinner the following evening, she had the sheep clutched to her chest, her nose buried in the soft wool.

"You found her," Steve said with a grin, using his foot to push out a chair for the little witch. "Where was she?"

"Vision was looking after her for me," Wanda replied with a shy little smile, glancing at the synthetic man as he hovered into the room after her, an affectionate smile on his lips.

"I told you she'd turn up," Steve smiled.

Wanda just hugged the plush more tightly.

* * *

That night, Wanda slept curled around Natalia as usual, but this time she was not alone.

Vision lay on the other side of the bed, curled protectively around the pair of them, watching over Wanda as she slept and feeling something that could only be _relief_ that she was finally home and safe.

Promising himself never to let her out of his sight again.


	8. Day 8

"That doesn't look good," Steve muttered, and Tony glanced up in question to see what the Captain was talking about.

Wanda was sitting on a bench outside, her arms crossed tight over her chest and tears streaming over her cheeks. There was a little travel bag at her side, her jacket folded over the top of it, and behind her Vision was hovering about a yard away, looking anxious.

"Yeaaaaah that's about a nine on the 'oh shit' scale," Tony agreed. "Approach with extreme caution."

Tony had allowed the Captain to talk him into a walk that morning, and while he was sure that there was _somebody_ who would have found the trek relaxing or invigorating, he would have much preferred to be in front of a computer. Which is exactly where he planned on going after he got himself a drink as a reward for doing outdoorsy "health" things with Cap.

And right now Sabrina in a bad mood was something he did not want to have any part of.

Steve, apparently, had other plans.

"Wanda…what's going on?" Steve asked gently as the girl stood and snatched up her bag, stalking over to him without so much as a glance back at Vision, who followed behind her at a distance.

"I'm not staying here. I want to go to Clint's."

"Now hold on a minute," Tony started, but Wanda whirled to him with her eyes blazing a dangerous red.

"Stay out of it, Stark!"

Swallowing hard, Tony nodded, taking a step back.

"Right. Got it. Staying out of it. Rogers? I'll be inside."

Tony turned tail as Steve tried to soothe the girl, and the last thing he heard was her all but sobbing that she wanted to leave, begging Steve to fly her out to the farm.

"Yeesh," he muttered to himself, beating a hasty retreat into the compound. "Who the hell got her panties in a twist…?

He made his way up to the lounge, taking the liberty of pouring himself a drink, and kicked half of it back in one go before slowing down to the occasional sip. Tony then ambled his way over to the window, leaning to peer over the front lawn, seeing if he could catch a glimpse of the Captain or the little witch he'd left the man to calm down. Both of them were gone, however, and he frowned outside for a long moment, trying to think of where they could have gotten off to. She didn't seem like she was in the kind of mood that could be soothed that quickly, after all.

Tony stood by the window for another long minute before doubling back to refill his glass, and only then did he notice Vision, the synth brooding at one of the barstools.

When the robot didn't look up or even acknowledge his presence, Tony merely shrugged to himself and scooted around the far side of the bar.

Unsure whether it would help, he poured a glass for Vision.

The other man didn't look up when Tony set the shot in front of him, and he frowned a little at that. Tony took a moment to check the android over, taking in the way he was hunched over in defeat with his shoulders curled and his hands clenched in his lap.

Well, he should _probably_ say something…

"So…Vision?" Tony asked at length. "You gonna tell me what happened?"

The robot did finally look up at that, his face a mask of near-expressionless confusion with a touch of hurt creasing his brows.

"I…I believe I have upset Wanda."

"Picked up on that all on your own, did you?" Tony smirked, pouring himself a whiskey. "What exactly did you do that got her all riled up like that?"

"I am not entirely sure…"

"Well you'd better figure it out," he scoffed, taking a long drink. "Her being in a mood is bad news for all of us. Magic mishaps and such."

"She said she wanted to move out to the farm."

Tony paused at that, blinking hard.

"Did Steve actually take her?"

"I believe so. She…she was crying."

The synth deflated once more, hanging his head.

"I offered to accompany them, but Captain Rogers said that it would be best to let Clint talk with her." He swallowed hard. "Wanda didn't even say goodbye."

"I'm sure she just forgot," Tony offered, turning to find the maraschino cherries. "Too busy being over-emotional and all."

"I…I don't believe she plans to return," Vision whispered.

Tony turned, raising an eyebrow as he took in the synthetic man. Vision's shoulders were slumped, his hands folded nervously before him, and his brows were drawn unhappily as he studied the floor with a little frown and a trembling lip.

If Tony didn't know better, he'd say that Vision looked like he was about to cry.

"Hey, come on," he muttered, moving to clasp a hand to Vision's shoulder. "She'll be back once she's had some time to cool off. Women do this shit all the time."

The android didn't seem convinced, however, and after a moment Tony let his hand fall back to his side.

"Welp. Good talk," he said after a long moment, at a loss for what else to do.

Then he beat a tactical retreat with his whiskey, leaving Vision to his brooding.

* * *

Wanda took a slow breath before stepping into the common room of the compound, her suitcase still in her hands.

It had been a few days since she'd had Steve bring her out to the farm to see Clint.

Last week had been the yearly reunion of her parent's death, which never failed to run her emotions thin, but on top of that she'd been having nightmares about Sokovia again, about falling from the sky alongside everything she'd ever known or loved.

Down and down and down…until everything was swallowed by a black abyss and all that remained was her, falling endlessly for the rest of time. Alone.

Three interrupted nights' sleep later, when Vision had insisted that she was being illogical about refusing to practice flying that week, it had felt far more judgmental than the simple observation that the comment was likely meant to be. The build up of sleepless nights and stress had taken that as the tipping point and she'd just been done. With Vision, with training, with everything.

She'd needed to get away.

Being out at the farm for a few days with Clint and Laura to fuss over her, as well as the two older kids to run her around and keep her distracted, had done wonders to de-stress her, and she was feeling far more like herself.

She'd also started to miss Vision.

The synth in question was sitting on the couch, slumped forward with his head hanging, his unblinking gaze fixed on the ground. His elbows were on his knees, his hands laced together around the back of his neck, and Wanda watched him for a long second before speaking.

"Vizh."

The synthetic man blinked for a second, his face shifting from its distressed neutral into confusion for a brief second before he looked up.

When he caught sight of her he could only stare, the optics in his eyes shifting focus in disbelief.

"Wanda…"

He was on his feet in a second, hovering nervously just far enough away to be sure he gave her space, in case she was still upset.

"I…you came back," he whispered, and she felt a pitying smile tug at her lips.

"Silly thing, of course I came back," Wanda said softly. "I'm not going to leave forever."

"I was so afraid that I'd chased you off," he started, and Wanda felt a little pang of guilt when she saw the glassiness in his eyes.

"Oh, Vizh…"

She crossed to stand before him, close enough that if she moved her hands even an inch she would have touched him.

"Wanda, please forgive me," he begged. "I have been a fool."

She simply shook her head.

"It's not your fault, Vizh, It was a bad week, and you said the wrong thing at the wrong time. I've already moved past it."

"That is a great relief to hear," he breathed, sagging a little as the tension went out of him.

"Oh, Vizh, I never meant to make you feel like you had done anything wrong," she apologized reaching out to take his hands in hers.

"I've never been more terrified," he admitted with a helpless little motion, and Wanda gave his hands a gentle squeeze. "I thought you would never return…"

"Silly thing," she smiled gently, stepping in close to hug him tight. "Sometimes people get mad or upset and just need to back off or get away so they can think and calm down. I just needed some time to de-stress away from it all. I didn't mean to make you worry like that…I'm sorry."

"I'm just relieved that you are back," he sighed, relaxing slightly into her embrace. "Are you sure that you are okay?"

Wanda snuggled into his chest with a smile.

"I am now."


	9. Day 9

"Your Highness, the decision's already been made. I'm not going to change my mind because you've decided that you don't agree."

"But it's completely unnecessary! I really don't need a bodyguard," Wanda protested, following her father's advisor through the halls of the palace as he made his rounds, struggling to keep up with the man. "Pietro doesn't have one."

"Prince Pietro is also apprenticed to a knight who looks out for him," Steve corrected her gently, pausing to straighten up one of the hanging tapestries on the wall before resuming his march toward the throne room. "Sam acts as bodyguard for your brother."

"And why can't Darcy act as bodyguard for me?"

"Because she is not a trained fighter."

"You clearly haven't seen her with a broom," Wanda muttered under her breath, gathering her skirts up as she jogged to keep up with Steve's brisk pace. "Then how about Natasha? Or Sharon? Or Maria? One of Mama's guards?"

"Your mother's guards are all needed to protect her and your younger siblings," Steve explained patiently, slowing his pace to let her catch up and turning around to face her with a concerned look. "What's wrong with Vision?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ with him," Wanda said, looking away as she wrung her hands in her skirt. "He's very sweet. I just don't like someone following me around all day. It makes it hard to… _do_ anything."

"It makes it hard to get yourself into trouble, you mean," Steve laughed.

Wanda huffed a little noise in protest, but couldn't deny it.

Steve leaned close with a sigh, offering her a sympathetic smile.

"I know you don't wish to be guarded, but with the recent threats that have been made against the royal family, I simply can't risk it. I realize that it may take a bit of getting used to, but after a couple weeks I'm sure you'll settle in just fine. Vision is a very good match for you," Steve offered.

"Now you are playing matchmaker as well?" Wanda asked, raising a brow, and Steve let out a breathy chuckle.

"Not at all. I just mean that I specifically chose Vision as your bodyguard because he's very attentive, and I knew he wouldn't let you slip his watch. Although, speaking of that…where is he?"

Wanda opened her mouth to reply, but was beaten to it by a call from a hundred or so yards down the hallway behind them.

"I am here, Commander. I was merely honoring the Princess' request for some privacy while you conversed."

The knight in question was standing, attentive as ever, just far enough away to give the pretense of being out of hearing range, keeping a watchful eye on her. Wanda made a face when she spotted him, and Steve grinned down at her.

"Like I said, I picked him specifically because I knew you wouldn't be able to slip off on your own the way you always did with Thor."

Wanda shot the man a pout and Steve softened his tone a bit, leaning closer to her with a sympathetic smile.

"We're just trying to protect you, Your Highness."

"I don't need protection," Wanda huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing away as Vision approached them. "I can protect myself. Papa taught me how to fight just like he taught Pietro."

"Regardless of your skill, you are both still rather young," Steve soothed. "You have a lot to learn still. Besides, both of your parents are skilled fighters, and they both still have warriors to guard them."

"But their guards don't act like glorified nannies," Wanda protested quietly, shooting a slightly apologetic glance back over her shoulder at Vision as he stepped up beside them with a little bow.

"And neither will yours," Steve reassured her.

"But Steve-"

"Good day, Your Highness," Steve replied pointedly, shooting her a grin before walking away, nodding at her guard as he went.

Wanda shot a frown after the man as he left her standing in the middle of the hall with Vision hovering a pace or so behind her, watching her expectantly.

She let out a sigh, trying not to meet the man's gaze as she gathered herself up with as much dignity as she could muster and turned in a whirl of rich fabric to stride off down the hallway.

Like hell she needed a bodyguard.

She would just have to ditch Vision and prove to Steve that she was fine on her own.

* * *

Three days.

It had been three days of her unsuccessfully trying to slip Vision's watch; however none of the tricks that Thor normally fell for seemed to work on her new guard.

"I'll be back in just a minute," no longer flew as an excuse. "I'll stay right here if you want to go do something, I promise," was turned down. "I was hoping to spend some time alone," was countered with a respectful distance and a sharp eye. Simply hiding away was near impossible.

There was nothing she could do to ditch him.

"You must have been no fun to play hide and seek with as a child," Wanda informed Vision as he offered her a hand down from one of the archer's lofts in the west tower where she'd been attempting to hide. "Nobody could ever win."

"Your skirt disturbed the dust on the floor," the man replied sheepishly, wincing a little as she leapt to the floor in a slightly less graceful manner than she'd intended. Vision, thankfully, was far too polite to comment.

"So I've been assigned a game tracker as a guard. Lovely," she muttered, looking him up and down with a pout.

"I will admit that you were described as both 'elusive' and 'difficult to track down'."

"Thanks, Steve," she growled under her breath.

"He also said that you were incredibly clever," Vision added apologetically, giving her a sheepish shrug.

Rolling her eyes, Wanda turned and strode off, knowing without checking that Vision would be right on her heels.

It was somewhere between admirable and frustrating, the fact that she couldn't seem to slip his watch no matter what she did. She adored Thor, but the man's trusting nature had led to an almost naive belief in anything she said. But while Vision shared the same open trust, he always seemed to have some angle where he could take her at her word but still keep her from slipping away.

Steve had been right – Vision _was_ a good match for her. She couldn't seem to outsmart him for long enough to lose him.

Turning toward the main hall, Wanda dared a glimpse back over her shoulder at the man in question. Vision was still watching her with the same careful attentiveness that he had been since he'd been assigned to her, never seeming to grow weary of following her everywhere.

With a sigh she turned her eyes front again.

If only she could order him to stop following her…

She took another turn, heading for the gardens, and Wanda was almost outside when a sudden thought stopped her up short.

Maybe she _could_ simply order him away.

"Say, Vision…" she started, picking her way down one of the carefully maintained paths between the flowers.

"Yes, Your Highness?" he called from behind her, and she slowed her pace deliberately to let him catch up as she looked around for a likely spot.

"If I'm royalty…and you're just a guard…don't you have to obey direct orders that I give to you?" she asked, a wicked grin crossing her face as she spotted a bench up ahead.

"To an extent," the man allowed. "If they come into direct conflict with an order given by the King, the Queen, or Commander Rogers, I am to take their orders as final and disregard yours."

Wanda nodded, pacing closer.

"So if I ordered you to let me wander alone, you would ignore it…However, if I simply ordered you to sit down over there, you would have to obey?" she asked, nodding toward the little bench.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Wanda beamed, a wicked plan forming in her head.

"All right, then…go sit over there."

Vision hesitated, his eyes searching her for a moment, but after a couple seconds he relented and did as he was told.

Wanda followed him to the bench, standing before him as he shifted awkwardly in place, looking up at her in question. Now, she just needed to make sure he stayed there…

"I order you to close your eyes," she purred, waiting to make sure he did as she'd told him before casting her own gaze about.

One of the gardeners had left some supplies outside, and to her absolute joy, among them was a length of cord. She darted over, grabbing the rope up before hurrying back to Vision's side and circling around to the back of the bench.

"Keep your eyes closed, that is a direct order," she scolded as she carefully looped the rope around one of the legs of the bench and brought it up, tying a large loop with a slip knot in the end.

"Your majesty…" Vision started suspiciously as Wanda made her way around to the front of the bench once more, draping the loop around him and being careful not to let it touch.

"Yes, Vision?" she asked, tying a second slip knot in the loose end of the rope. "Put your hands out, would you?"

The man obeyed with a frown.

"Your Highness…What exactly are you attempting to do?"

Wanda didn't have a good answer for that, and instead took hold of his outstretched hands, letting the large loop of rope fall down around his middle and over his arms. She hauled it tight before he could react, pinning his arms to his sides, and leaned in to press her lips to his as a distraction when his eyes popped open in surprise.

Vision jolted hard when she kissed him, and Wanda took the chance to hook the smaller loop of rope around his wrists and cinch it into place while he was distracted.

She was quick to step back out of range as the man blinked up at her, seemingly dazed. She darted in again, quickly, to relieve him of his sword belt, and backed out of range once more as she fastened it around her own waist.

"Princess…" Vision murmured, his lips parted slightly as he looked her over in shock. Wanda licked her lips self-consciously at that, glancing away as she felt her face flush – her actions only now fully registering to her.

She'd _kissed_ him.

"Your Highness-" he breathed a second later, reaching his bound hands out after her with a frown but glancing down in confusion as the ropes brought him to a sharp halt.

"Sorry, Vision," she said softly, backing away. "You're very nice, and I appreciate your willingness to guard me, but I need to prove to Steve that I don't need a guard. So you need to stay here."

Vision's confusion quickly fell into a shocked realization at that, and Wanda took another pace back as he turned his attention to the ropes.

"Goodbye," she murmured, lacking a better closing to her announcement.

"Y-Your Highness, wait!" Vision called, thrashing against the ropes, but Wanda didn't stick around to see if her hasty tie-job would hold. She turned and bolted.

It only took her a few seconds to be back inside, the heavy door slamming shut behind her marking her successful escape.

Vision's sword was bumping heavily against her thigh as she ran, the repeated motion aching even through her thick skirt, but Wanda was too hyped up on adrenaline to notice.

It had worked. She'd finally lost him.

Wanda rounded a corner, ducking quickly into one of the hidden servant's corridors and heading down the stairs as fast as her dress would allow. After all, Vision wasn't likely to seek out a princess among the servants.

She only dared to slow her pace when she was deep in the lower halls of the castle, catching her breath as she leaned against the wall, a grin tugging at her lips.

She'd lost him.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness."

Wanda jumped a little in surprise at the soft voice from behind her, whirling around to see who'd spoken.

An older woman in servant's clothing was standing in the hall behind her, a warm smile on her face, and Wanda let out a breath in relief.

"Miriam, you gave me a fright."

"My apologies Your Highness," she said. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"It's all right, I should have been paying more attention," Wanda said, relaxing back against the wall.

Miriam glanced her over for a minute, her brows drawing in question, and Wanda self-consciously shifted so that her skirts hid her guard's sword from view.

It didn't make a bit of difference.

"Say…Where's Vision?" Miriam asked, looking around either side of Wanda as if she was hoping to find the man hiding behind her, and Wanda felt her face flush a little.

"He's… _around_ ," she answered, but to her relief Miriam simply gave her a knowing smile.

"Finally managed to slip away from this one too, hm?"

Wanda let out a breath in relief, the end of it turning into a soft laugh.

"Vision's a bit better at this than Thor," she admitted.

"Still no match for you," Miriam smiled, and Wanda glanced away.

"You won't tell Papa, will you?" Wanda asked with a wince. She would likely get scolded for such immature behavior.

"Your secret is safe with me," the woman said with a wink.

Wanda let out a breath in relief, a smile creeping back across her face.

"Oh, my dear, that reminds me," Miriam said suddenly. "I had someone that I wanted you to meet…do you have a moment?"

"Of course," Wanda smiled.

She had all _afternoon_ to herself now.

Wanda followed Miriam as the woman turned to lead her down the hall, out toward the servant's door.

"Who are we meeting?" she asked, quickening her pace a touch to catch up.

"Some of the new hires. Friends of mine," Miriam said, leading her down another corridor that ended in a little door. "They've been looking forward to meeting the Princess."

Miriam pushed the door open and Wanda squinted as the dark hall was filled with bright sunlight. Outside, a little area was sectioned off with a half-wall and shaded over by a spindly old tree. Two men in uniform sat in the shade, talking quietly to one another, and they both looked up with grins as Wanda followed Miriam outside.

The older woman stepped aside, ushering Wanda out into the open, and she shifted a little as the two men stood to greet them.

"These are the new footmen," Miriam smiled, nodding at the two.

"Nice to meet you," Wanda recited, trying to force a pleasant expression as she looked them over.

Something seemed… _off_ about them.

Normally the footmen were younger…clean-shaven and sharply dressed. The two men before her were easily in their middle ages, messy scruff surrounding deep scowl lines on one and an almost full beard on the other. They were also dirty, with mud streaked on their shoes and pant legs, as if they'd been outside for a while instead of in the palace working.

The two men started to approach, and Wanda darted a glance back at Miriam. The woman was smiling at the two from a pace behind her, calm as anything, but there was something sharp about the set of her mouth that set Wanda's nerves on edge.

"Hey there, Princess," the closer one grinned. "Nice to finally meet you."

The sound of a door closing behind her made Wanda startle and turn around, and her stomach dropped when she found Miriam standing in front of the door, blocking her way back inside.

Oh.

 _Shit_.

She whirled back around to face the two men only to realize that one of them had drawn a sword.

"S-stay back," Wanda demanded sharply, grabbing Vision's sword and drawing it from the sheath as she began to back away.

Or, at least, she tried to draw it.

The blade was made for someone far taller than her, and her draw only took the blade partially out of the scabbard before the angle caught it and the grip nearly got yanked from her hand. She struggled for a moment to free the blade, turning it quickly on the approaching men.

The two were snickering, glancing at one another knowingly as they moved apart, approaching her from opposite angles.

"Miriam!" she called in fright, but the older woman simply grinned at her.

The two men laughed as they backed her further into the corner, one of them winding a length of rope between his hands threateningly.

"You're not gonna find any help there, little Princess," the shorter one sneered.

"She's been keeping an eye on you for us," the other one smiled. "Waiting for you to slip your guard's watch again and run off on your own."

Wanda darted a step forward, taking a swing at the man, but she wasn't used to the longer sword, and the weight of it made her swing slow enough for him to dodge.

She scrambled back once more as the second man tried to dart in close.

Wanda quickly shifted to the side to keep them both in view, making sure that Miriam was no longer behind her as her father's words rang in her head. _Keep your opponent where you can see them._

She needed to stay calm. She needed to _focus_.

She'd been taught with one-handed blades, and while Vision's sword was a one-handed by definition, it was made at a length and weight for a much larger person.

She needed both hands to effectively steady it.

She could keep the two at a distance because she had the longer weapon, but she had to be careful not to swing too wide or she would leave herself open for them to get in close. She was facing two opponents, so she had to have her blade blocking one while she kept an eye on the other.

The man with the weapon rushed her first, and Wanda was quick to bring her sword up in a block. He struck again immediately after but she was prepared for that as well and turned him away. The man with the rope began circling her, hovering in her peripherals as the first man struck again, raining a few sharp blows on her before striking the side of her blade heavily, trying to disarm her.

Wanda managed to keep hold of her weapon through the finger-numbing strike, stumbling back a pace to prevent him from rushing her while she adjusted her grip.

The other man chose that moment to dart in, and Wanda had to deflect the rope as he tried to throw it over her. As soon as she took one hand off her sword, however, the first man charged in, and Wanda was again forced to retreat before she was struck.

She caught his next downswing, a little curl of terror coursing up her spine as their blades slid against one another until the hilts were locked together, but before she could remember what her training said she was supposed to do next in that situation, the man had leaned his weight forward.

Wanda staggered back at the sudden force, trying to brace herself against his push, but the minute she shifted focus to getting her feet in a better position, the man had slipped a hand down from his blade to grab her wrist.

She tried to jerk back out of his hold on pure instinct, but that only succeeded in leaving her unbalanced and the man's next shove buckled her knees beneath her.

She staggered hard but managed to remain on her feet, her sword still barely holding him off.

A few seconds later, however, that didn't matter.

The second man came at her from behind once more, and with the combination of the other man's overhead strike bearing down on her and his grip fastened firmly around her wrist, she couldn't dodge.

The man struck her across the back of her knees, buckling her legs beneath her, and Wanda landed on her back hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.

The two were on her before she even managed to force her body to breathe in against the shock.

A sharp kick from one of them numbed her hand and sent her sword tumbling into a mud puddle a few feet away, the man stepping on her wrist to pin her a second later. The other man plunged his blade through her skirt and deep into the earth, trapping her legs in the tangle of the fabric, before he stepped forward to straddle her waist and knelt across her stomach. His weight crushing down on her made catching her breath even harder, and she only managed a weak gasp before the man's hand was around her throat, threatening to choke her.

She struck at him blindly, but the man easily caught her hand and wrestled her arm to the ground, his fingers tightening around her throat.

The man with his boot on her wrist knelt down, his weight rocking painfully against fragile bones, and Wanda gasped out a protest as he wound a handful of her hair in his hand and tipped her head back.

The rope he held was quickly looped around her neck and tightened, replacing the pressure of the other man's grip and leaving his hand free to trace slowly down her throat, coming to a rest on her bodice.

"Now, now…don't struggle," the one with the rope scolded, giving it a little tug. "Wouldn't want you choking yourself after all."

She tried to scream, to alert someone that she was in trouble, but the second she opened her mouth the man hauled the rope tight, cutting off her air.

"Ah-ah! None of that," he scolded with a grin as Wanda thrashed against their hold, fighting to get an arm free so she could get the rope off her neck. "You make so much as a _peep_ and you lose permission to breathe for the next five minutes, understand?"

He loosened the rope a touch and Wanda choked in a breath, tears brimming in her eyes from the pressure.

"That's it, nice and quiet now," the man grinned. "If you cooperate you won't get hurt. Much."

Wanda shook her head as much as she could, pulling against their hold, but with two much larger people holding her down, there was nothing she could do.

"Make sure you tie her up good and tight," a woman's voice snapped, and Wanda looked up to see Miriam approaching, watching the men pin her with a scowl. "This one's good at escaping."

"Bet your Papa will pay a pretty penny to make sure he gets you back unharmed," the man holding the rope laughed.

"And if he doesn't cooperate, we'll start taking your fingers off," the man sitting on her chest grinned, grabbing hold of her fingers one by one and bending them back painfully. "One…two…three…WHACK."

Wanda cringed as the man stabbed a knife into the ground beside her rather violently.

"And if _you_ don't cooperate we may not treat you very nice either," the other threatened, coiling his hand in her hair and giving a sharp yank. "There's plenty of stuff we could do that won't leave lasting damage, after all."

Wanda tried to twist free of their hold once more, but the man behind her simply hauled on the rope to cut off her air, leaving her gasping.

"Maybe we should let her scream a little," the one sitting on her laughed. "If we get lucky, maybe we can bait her hotheaded brother out into the open as well."

Wanda gasped another desperate breath as the man let the rope go a bit slack again, and she spent a long second blinking dark spots from her eyes.

"Would you two hurry up?" Miriam snapped, playing with something at her hip nervously. "We don't have all day."

"Yeah, yeah. Gimmie a minute and I'll choke her out for the trip."

Wanda gasped a deep breath as she saw the man wind the rope around his hand, preparing to haul it tight once more, but a voice echoed out just before he could.

"Unhand her. _Now._ "

Wanda could have sobbed in relief.

The two men looked up sharply, the one on her chest standing up and staggering a pace back in surprise, allowing her a clear view of who had spoken.

Vision was standing in the doorway, a blade in his hand and a dark expression clouding his face, glaring the men down with a fury that was chilling.

"I will not repeat myself again," he growled, advancing a pace. " _Unhand her._ "

"The hell are you waiting for," Miriam hissed at the men, ducking to grab the knife from the dirt beside Wanda. "Get him!"

The man behind her hauled the rope tight once more, leaving her thrashing to get it off her neck so she could _breathe_ as the other ripped his sword from where it was pinning her skirt, advancing on Vision with a scowl. Wanda managed to get the rope loose enough to gasp half a breath as Miriam took the end of it from the man, but she didn't get a chance to get it any looser before Miriam was dragging her away by her throat like a dog, the second man going after Vision as well.

Wanda desperately tried to get a hold of the rope in some way that would keep it from cutting into her neck, the lack of air making her thoughts go floaty, but just as her sight was starting to fade around the edges she caught sight of Vision's sword, still half submerged in the mud puddle.

Miriam had unknowingly dragged her closer to it.

Wanda rolled to the side, the pressure around her windpipe bringing tears to her eyes, but she managed to grab hold of Vision's sword just before Miriam hauled her back. Her swing at the woman was clumsy, the angle all wrong for her to get a good shot, but it was enough to make the woman reel back in shock, losing her grip on the rope about Wanda's neck.

As soon as she felt the pressure let up Wanda pulled away from the woman, rolling into a crouch and using the blade to keep Miriam at bay as she yanked the rope from around her throat and tossed it away, gasping desperately for breath.

Wanda opened her mouth to speak, to shout "traitor!" at the woman in betrayed anger, but the phantom pressure of the rope around her windpipe made her start coughing instead, and Wanda staggered to her feet as she struggled to catch her breath.

Miriam tried to rush her while she was recovering, the knife in her grip, but Wanda was quick to catch the woman's wrist and turn the blade aside, twisting to let Miriam's momentum carry her right past and onto the ground.

Wanda only paused for long enough to kick the blade from the woman's hand just like the men had done to her earlier, before she whirled to find Vision.

Her guard was slowly backing away from the two men, one of them wielding a sword and the other brandishing a rather large stick, and Wanda was quick to charge the pair from behind, her sword at the ready.

Her swing caught the shorter man in the side and he went down howling, the stick landing at his feet, and when the second whirled to see what was going on Vision lunged in close and hit him in the temple with a rather vicious pommel strike, sending him to the ground.

A shout from behind her had Wanda whirling around, remembering about Miriam with a jolt of panic, but to her relief it was Steve and a number of the guard, coming to see what the commotion was.

Wanda felt her body go weak with relief.

Thank God, someone else had heard.

Wanda could only stare in a daze as Steve began snapping orders, pointing first at Miriam and then at the other two men, sending his guards scampering to grab them.

Vision's sword slipped from her hand, hitting the ground with a soft thud, and she staggered back out of the way as four of the guards rushed in to apprehend the two men who had attacked her.

It almost felt like she was in a dream.

As the guards manhandled the two traitors away, Wanda slowly turned her gaze to Vision.

The man was standing a few feet away, his earlier rage replaced with a sad, aching concern as he stared at her, and Wanda felt her lip tremble a little as she met his gaze.

Breathing still felt like an aching scratch in her throat, the skin around her neck chaffed raw from the ropes, and she had dark bruises already blooming on her wrist where the man had stepped on her. She was covered in streaked mud and dust and speckled with blood, and her head was throbbing from the near suffocation and the merciless pulling of her hair.

She was trembling with the adrenaline shock and more than a bit of fright, her body starting in on the crash phase of her fight or flight reaction and her emotions worn raw at the thought that she'd nearly been kidnapped.

On top of that, one of the servants she'd thought of as almost a friend had been behind it all.

She honestly wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and cry.

"Your Highness," Vision asked after a moment, approaching slowly. "Are you all right?"

"Vision," she whispered, her choking voice sounding small and broken even to her own ears, and she swallowed hard as she felt her eyes well up.

If he had found her even a few seconds later than he had…

Her next breath choked in her throat.

She wasn't sure who moved first, but the next thing she knew she was hugged tight to the man's chest, his warm scent surrounding her and his hand hesitantly coming to rest on the crown of her head as she choked out a sob and he tried to coax her calm.

"Vision...!"

"It's all right, Your Highness, you're safe now," he soothed. "It's over."

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" she sobbed, her hands winding in his shirt as she pressed herself close, trying to feel safe. "I should have listened to you and Steve…you were right about _everything_ …"

Wanda roughly scrubbed a fist across her cheeks, trying to rein in her frayed emotions with little success.

"I can't protect myself at _all_ …"

At that, however, she felt Vision lean back a little.

"Of course you can," he dared to correct her, his gentle tone sounding almost confused, but she just shook her head.

"They beat me...they had me completely helpless..."

"Even the best of fighters cannot handle every situation on their own," Vision soothed. "Especially when outnumbered. I was completely cornered until you struck that man from behind."

She sniffed a little, blinking up at him, and the man gave her a gentle smile.

"I am not guarding you because you are incapable, Princess. I am guarding you so that you have someone to watch your back in a fight."

Before she could reply, however, the two of them were jolted from their conversation by the quick approach of footsteps a second before Steve appeared beside them.

"Your Highness, are you all right?" Steve asked her, something soft and dreadfully worried in his tone, and Wanda swallowed her emotions back hard before nodding. The Commander turned his attention to Vision next, his expression dropping into a frown.

"Vision, what happened here?"

"It's not his fault," Wanda interjected sharply, slowly letting her gaze drop in shame as Steve raised a brow at her. "I…I gave him orders, and I slipped away from him... He was doing everything you told him to…I got myself into this mess."

Steve let out a long breath, looking between the two for a moment before his gaze settled on Vision.

"I expect a full report from you later. See to Princess Wanda."

Steve turned around, barking orders at the guards as they hauled Miriam and the two men away, and Wanda watched him go for a long moment before looking back up at Vision.

Her guard hadn't taken his eyes from her for a second, his brows drawn in concern.

"I should bring you to your room," Vision mused, tracing a finger over the torn hem of her sleeve. "You will need a change of clothing…and someone should look at your throat."

"Vision…you'll stay…right?" she asked quietly, blinking up at him pleadingly as she was struck with the sudden, tiny prickle of fear at the thought of being caught alone again. "You'll stay with me?"

The man simply smiled down at her gently.

"Of course I will, Your Highness," he murmured. "I am yours to command."

"Then I command you to remain at my side forever."

The man chuckled softly.

"As you wish, my Princess. Now…let's get you inside."

Wanda wound her arms around Vision's neck as he gently scooped her into his hold, letting her head rest against his shoulder.

And as he carried her into the castle once more, bringing her up to her room so her fretting parents and the family doctor could fuss over her, she had the fleeting thought that maybe having a guard wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long, this one kinda got away from me.

Also, for the Anon who asked about the pregnant Wanda theory...the long and short of it is this:

In the comics, Wanda and Vision get married and have children together - namely, twin boys.

A month or so ago, a casting call went out for Infinity War looking for "twin 2-year-old Caucasian-looking boys," and seeing as the most recent trailer showed Vision and Wanda in their pajamas in the same room (with Wanda in bed no less), the speculation is that she's either currently expecting, or soon to be carrying, Vision's children.


	10. Day 10

"Come on, that's it! Twelve! Eleven! Ten to go! Nine! Eight! Keep you back straight! Seven! Six! Don't give up on me, you've got five to go! Five! Four! Don't wimp out, Maximoff, come on! Push it!"

Wanda snarled a curse, dropping more than lowering herself back to the floor as her arms trembled with strain. Gritting her teeth, she forced her muscles to work, pushing herself up once more.

"Back straight!"

God, she wanted to kill Nat at times like this…

Channeling her frustration with her trainer, Wanda dropped to the ground once more and forced another push-up.

"Two! Come on, one more!"

Wanda let out a little grunt of exertion as she half-lowered-half-dropped herself to the mat once more, and grit her teeth hard as she forced her shaking arms to lift one more time.

"One! That's thirty!" Natasha grinned, rocking back on her heels a little as Wanda collapsed against the mat, breathing hard. "All right, Wanda, you're done."

"Stick me with forks," she muttered, and Natasha blinked at her in confusion for a second before her face lit with recognition and she let out a little snort.

"Not quite how the phrase goes, hon."

"It was something about forks and being done," she grinned in defense, gathering herself together enough to kneel on the mat facing her trainer.

"Stick a fork in me, I'm done?"

"That."

"You are darling, you know that?" Natasha asked with a grin. "You crack me up trying to use American phrases."

Wanda took the mature route and stuck her tongue out at the woman, and Natasha just smiled in reply.

"I say that as someone who was in your shoes for a good long while," Natasha shrugged, getting to her feet and passing Wanda her water bottle. "It took me years to get the hang of it, and I still don't know half of them."

"Especially all of Clint's super weird ones."

"No kidding…although, speaking of Clint, you figure out who you're taking to the Christmas Party?"

"Not yet…but by that lead-in, I assume you're bringing him?"

"Yeah. I figured I would repay him for sending me one of my best trainees by letting him socialize and eat for free that night," Natasha grinned.

"I'm pretty sure the only reason Clint insisted that I sign up for this was because he wanted to make sure that my music wasn't playing through the walls during his naptime."

"Townhouses suck like that," Natasha chuckled. "Though you'd think that with three kids, he would be used to sleeping through noise."

"Apparently not my brand of noise," Wanda giggled. "I can't have my speakers on for more than a minute before he's banging on the wall."

"Sounds about right."

"Not like he's much quieter," Wanda protested, her words trailing off in a whine as she stretched her back out. "He starts in on that video game he loves and all my walls rattle."

"I'll have a word with him if you'd like."

"Nah, I don't mind it. Besides, if I complain too much he might un-invite me to pizza night."

"Laura wouldn't let him," Natasha laughed, getting to her feet. "That woman adores you."

"Lucky for me," Wanda nodded.

"You drinking a gallon of water a day?" Natasha asked with a grin, offering out a little towel for Wanda to blot at her forehead with.

"Getting closer."

"And you're making sure you get enough protein?"

"Much more than before."

"Good," Natasha praised, offering her a hand up. "Keep that up and we'll have you bench-pressing Steve in no time."

Wanda couldn't help a laugh at the thought of her being able to lift the other personal trainer, taking Natasha's hand as the woman hauled her to her feet.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow night, right after work. Yup," Wanda nodded, winking at the red-head with a grin as she added: "I'll make sure to walk by the window a few hours early with my free ice cream, so you get to suffer as much as you put me through, seeing me eat it but not getting to have any."

"You're a whole different brand of cruel, you know that?"

"I'm sure you'll find some way to punish me for it."

"I'm thinking fifty burpees and a two-mile run."

Wanda let out a groan of the appropriate length and volume for that news, bringing a smile to Natasha's lips, before waving goodbye and heading for the lockers.

* * *

"What can I get for you today?"

"The usual…peanut butter banana protein shake with a shot of dark chocolate. For my heart health," Wanda added with a grin, winking at the man behind the register.

"You're starting to become quite the regular," Vision smiled in reply. "I think I've seen you every day this week."

"Working on my New Year resolution," she shrugged.

The man's brows drew in confusion and he paused halfway through entering her order.

"But…it's December nineteenth…"

Wanda let out a little laugh, leaning on the counter and letting her chin rest in her hands.

"I read it online," she explained. "If you start doing something every day for two weeks, you form a behavior. A habit. By the time the new year rolls around, I'll be the only one ready to keep my resolution to go to the gym. And then I'll win the bet."

"That sounds like an intelligent and well-crafted plan," the man smiled, accepting her credit card with a smile and running it through the machine. "Three twenty-five is your total."

Wanda turned her attention to splitting the wrapper off of her straw as the register printed her receipt with a digital whir, and put one hand out for the paper as she heard the tear and crinkle of Vision splitting it over the printer's serration to give to her, credit card placed carefully on top.

Wanda murmured her thanks as Vision turned to start in on her drink, carefully measuring ingredients into a blender. Wanda smiled when she noticed him go heavy on the chocolate for her.

"If I might ask…you mentioned winning a bet. Who are you betting against?" Vision started conversationally, turning to settle the blender into the base and pushing a lid firmly on top before turning the blades on.

"My brother," she grinned, raising her voice a little to be heard over the blender. "His bet was that I would be the first to give up on my resolution. My bet is that he gives up first. We each put in twenty-five dollars, so the winner gets fifty."

"So I will likely have the pleasure of seeing you every day, long into the new year," he grinned. Wanda smiled back, but before she could reply Vision seemed to realize what he'd said and was quick to turn his focus back to making her drink, his face looking flushed.

Wanda did her best to hide a giggle.

"So have you worked here long?" she asked him, letting her eyes roam over the menu.

Perhaps she would try the peach vanilla shake tomorrow…

Vision shook his head, keeping an eye on the blender for another few seconds until he deemed it done and then flicking the switch and turning to pour the drink into a cup.

"Only a few weeks," he explained. "I moved here about a month ago from out of state. Into one of those old town houses just up the road."

Wanda blinked hard for a second, staring at him.

"No way…Lee Street?"

"That's the one."

"We're practically neighbors!" Wanda laughed. "I think I even remember seeing your moving van…are you the end house with that half-dead tree on the corner?"

"That I am," Vision grinned. "And I wish they would do something about that tree, it looks awful…"

"Oh, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, Vision. The state these townhouses are in? The landscape is the _last_ thing on their minds."

The man looked up in confusion, his hands still working to carefully press her lid onto her drink. She watched with a grin as his lips parted a little in question, his brows drawn, before he glanced down and seemed to remember that he was wearing a name tag, his expression melting into amused realization.

Vision brought her drink over with a smile, wrapping a napkin around it to mediate the chill before handing it over the counter to her.

"Here you are."

"Thank you. You've gotten me addicted to these, I swear."

"All the more excuse for you to come in and visit," he said a bit shyly, and Wanda felt a smile creeping across her face.

"Well, if you ever get a morning when you're not working here, I work at the ice cream place on the other end of this shopping center," Wanda said with a smile. "You can come visit me too. They have an absolutely killer blueberry banana flavor."

"I'll do that," Vision smiled in reply. "Good day, Miss Wanda."

Wanda nodded to him as she got her things together, but paused halfway to the door to glance back over a shoulder.

"Wait…when did I tell you my name?"

Vision blushing was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.

"I read it off your credit card before I handed it back" he admitted a touch sheepishly. "You have a beautiful name."

"You are so sweet," she smiled. "That's a good trick, with the card. I'll have to remember that for work. See you tomorrow, Vision."

"See you tomorrow," he smiled.

Wanda turned, taking a long sip of her drink as she made her way to the door of the little smoothie shop, but slowed her pace when she remembered what Natasha had asked her earlier.

It was already the nineteenth…she didn't have much time left.

And it wasn't like she knew many other people in the area.

"You know…" Wanda started, hesitating at the door with something like nerves fluttering in her stomach, "the gym is having a Christmas party, and every member is allowed to bring a guest…"

She glanced back over her shoulder and felt her heart jump a little at the interest in Vision's expression.

"…are you free this Saturday night?"


	11. Day 11

"She's totally jealous."

"She's not jealous."

"Are you even looking at her? Look how tense she is!"

"I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

"You're full of it."

"Am not!"

"Oh yeah? Wait till Natasha really lays it on."

Sam, Clint and Scott peeked up over the edge of the sofa, watching the trio on the far side of the room. Wanda was curled in the recliner like a cat, bundled comfortably in a blanket with a book in her lap, but her attention wasn't on the novel. Instead, her crimson-ringed eyes were focused in on the sofa, where Natasha was inching ever closer to Vision, an enticing smile on her lips.

"She's gonna blow. I'm telling you. Give it another two minutes," Clint whispered.

"Dude, they've been training together for weeks right under my nose. If I haven't noticed something going on between the two of them, there isn't anything going on," Sam replied.

"Scott, have you decided on your bet yet?" Clint prompted, nudging the other man with his elbow. "If you don't bet now you're gonna be disqualified."

"Um...I dunno, I think I might side with Clint on this one."

"What? You're gonna bail on me like this, Tic-Tac?"

"I mean, Wanda's starting to look really annoyed..."

"Yeah but she could also just be pissed cause Nat's being all predatory in the living room while she's trying to read."

"Too late, he's made his bet," Clint interrupted. "No take backs. Now pay attention!"

The three strained to hear what Natasha was saying, but the rooms were too far apart and they couldn't make out the words.

Wanda, however, went rigid.

"Shit," Sam muttered, leaning his head forward against the sofa.

"Ha-ha!" Clint crowed, his whispered voice bordering on the edge of noticeably loud. "Pay up, Sammy boy, I win!"

"Not yet you haven't," the Falcon replied. "You said she'd get jealous enough to throw Nat off of Vision and all she's done so far is made some unhappy faces."

"Maybe Natasha's not trying hard enough?" Scott offered, glancing at the red-haired assassin with a little frown.

"Oh, ye of little faith," Clint grinned. "Nat's got this covered. She could seduce a literal rock if she wanted to. She's just working up to it."

"You should ask her real nice, she might give you a demonstration," Sam snickered, and Scott swallowed hard.

"N-no, I think I'm good, thanks. Those thighs are great in concept, deadly in practice. I do have a _few_ self preservation instincts."

"If you've got self preservation, then why are you helping us bait Wanda?" Sam snickered.

"Because all my friends were jumping off a cliff and I decided to do it as well," he hissed, ducking a bit lower behind the couch. "And I'm hoping that we're far enough away that we won't get caught in the splatter zone for her powers."

"Nah, she's not going to kill us," Clint hummed. "Well, at least so long as she doesn't figure out that we were betting on this. If that happens then she might make a _point_ of killing us, but she's not going to do it accidentally."

"That's not all that much better."

"Ssh," Sam hissed, batting at the other two blindly as he stared into the far room. "Look, something's about to happen!"

The three crowded one another, staring intently into the other room as Natasha inched closer to Vision yet again, pressing herself right up along his arm.

The synthetic man blinked down at her in mild surprise and pointed confusion, asking her something that she responded to with a sweet smile.

Sam muttered a curse as Natasha walked her fingers up Vision's arm, flustering the synth and making Wanda close her book with a snap.

"Yeah, I think Nat's about to take a trip..."

"Well she bet on a reaction too, so she's at least expecting it," Clint shrugged. "And we're on the first floor in case Wanda aims for the window."

"She wouldn't throw Nat out the window, would she?"

"Don't think so, but it's always better to play it safe," Sam shrugged.

"Here we go, finishing blow," Clint muttered, eyes focused on the assassin as she went in for the kill.

All three stared intently as Natasha leaned in close, her parted lips hovering an inch from Vision's as she asked him something. The witch visibly bristled but didn't react, however Natasha's finger trailing up the android's chest to tip his chin up toward her a second later was all it took to snap Wanda's temper.

The little witch stood suddenly, her hands clenched into trembling fists at her sides as her powers flared up and out, and all the light bulbs in the room burst. Natasha jerked back, eyes wide, to meet Wanda's watery glare.

For a moment neither moved, then with a sharp phrase directed at Natasha in what sounded like Russian, Wanda had turned and fled the room.

"Wanda, wait!" Natasha called, standing to follow the girl, but she was shoved back onto the sofa a minute later by a burst of red and the door that Wanda had left through closed over with a sharp slam that seemed to hollow all the sound from the room.

The three men exchanged slow glances, sinking low behind the sofa as Vision tried to follow Wanda and Natasha drew him back, shaking her head.

Scott swallowed hard, looking between the other two for instruction.

"Shit...I didn't think she was going to get upset..." Clint muttered after a moment, running a hand over his face. "I thought she'd just get a bit annoyed."

"Should we try to find her...?" Sam asked, rocking up onto his knees to glance over the sofa before sinking back to the ground. "You know, before she does anything stupid?"

"What are we even going to tell her?" Scott asked, wide-eyed and pale. "That we were betting money on Natasha upsetting her by hitting on Vision?"

"I'm starting to think that we should have thought this through a bit better..." Clint muttered.

"God, we're a bunch of assholes..." Sam muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The three jerked up in guilty surprise as the sound of quick footsteps reached them from the hall, and scrambled to their feet just as Steve rounded the corner a second later, brows drawn in concern.

It only took the soldier a second to analyze the situation, his eyes flicking from the three men who had just been hiding behind the sofa to Natasha and Vision in the other room, the assassin in the process of an embarrassed explanation to the rather irate robot.

"What happened in here?" Steve demanded, looking around at the shattered glass and sparking lamps before settling his gaze on the three before him with a frown.

Clint, Sam, and Scott exchanged a look.

"Well," Clint started, wincing as Steve turned a raised brow on him. "In our defense, we really hadn't planned for things to happen quite like this..."

"Start talking."

* * *

Steve carefully rapped his knuckles on the door to Wanda's bedroom, giving it a second before he began to ease it open, poking his head through the doorway.

"Wanda...? Can I come in?"

A little hum of ascent reached his ears, and Steve carefully pushed the door open the rest of the way, stepping inside before closing it over once more behind him.

The little witch was sitting in the center of her bed, a pillow hugged to her chest as she sniffled quietly. She'd obviously been crying.

"Hey, Wanda," Steve started gently, offering what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he began a slow approach. "Mind if I come talk to you for a while?"

"Am I in trouble?" Wanda asked quietly, blinking big, glassy eyes up at him, and Steve let out a slow breath in pity.

"No, kiddo, you're not in trouble. Sam, Clint, Scott, and Natasha are in trouble. Not you."

Wanda looked down, leaning her chin more heavily into the pillow.

"But I was the one who broke the lights and used my powers on Natasha..."

"Yeah, you did," Steve shrugged, strolling a few steps closer. "But that wasn't exactly your fault."

Wanda glanced up, her brows drawn in confusion, and Steve offered a sad smile.

"Turns out there was some betting taking place among the less mature of our friends," he explained gently, lowering himself to the mattress at her side. "Clint and Sam got into an argument about whether or not you had a crush on Vision, and decided to test that out by trying to make you jealous over him."

"I-"

"You don't have to explain or admit to anything," Steve was quick to interrupt. "I'm just letting you know what was going on. None of this was serious - Natasha was just baiting you for a reaction. And trust me, I have already yelled at _all_ of them."

Wanda slowly glanced away, a little frown settling on her lips, and she muttered something in a different language that Steve couldn't possibly hope to translate, the words sounding bitter and annoyed.

"I can promise you that none of them meant to upset you. They were hoping that you would just get irritated and tell Natasha to bug off, or push her away with your powers. They all felt really bad that they'd hurt your feelings."

Wanda glanced back up at him, her expression worried.

"Vision..." she started, swallowing hard. "Is he upset with me?"

"Not at all. On the contrary, he thinks that you're upset with him. I've already told him that it's not his fault either, but he still feels terrible that you were upset by Natasha hitting on him," Steve said, getting to his feet and offering the little witch a hand. "He wants to take you out for ice cream or a movie to make up for it."

"Silly thing," Wanda murmured fondly, shaking her head as she accepted Steve's hand and let the super soldier draw her to her feet.

"Come on," Steve coaxed. "Let's get you straightened up a bit, then you and Vision can go out for the afternoon while I make everyone else run laps till they drop. Sound like a plan?"

Wanda nodded, a smile starting to return to her face, and she scrubbed the back of a hand across her cheeks as Steve led her out into the hall towards the bathroom.

A few doors down, Clint was leaned up against the wall, frowning down at the floor in thought with his arms crossed over his chest. The man looked up sharply as they approached, and quickly stepped out to block their path before they could pass.

"Wanda, baby," Clint started with a pleading smile, arms held open placatingly, and she responded by smacking his chest.

"You're an idiot!" she scolded.

"Yes, I am. I'm a very sorry idiot," he conceded. "That was a really mean thing to do, and I didn't think any of it through before I acted. I'm sorry. Please forgive me?"

Wanda huffed out a breath as Clint offered her a pleading smile, but the little witch couldn't hold her frown for long.

"You're lucky I like you," she scolded, finally accepting his hug.

"I am," he nodded, hugging her tight and rocking her back and forth. "Very, _very_ lucky, because right now you've got every right to kick my ass."

"I might still do it," she said with a watery laugh.

"Just give me a day and time, I'll be there. I'll drag the other three along for good measure if you want."

That coaxed a slightly more genuine laugh from her, and Clint pressed a kiss to the top of her head before releasing her.

"Go find your moping android," he said, shooing her off with a smile. "Keep him from strangling me or Sam."

"Don't look too relieved," Steve scolded the archer. "I'm not finished with you four yet."

Clint winced, shooting another long, pleading look at Wanda before turning his attention back to Steve and ducking his head with a sigh.

"Right. I'll start running laps. See you later, kiddo."

Wanda waved after him with a little smile as he began to jog away, and Steve simply shook his head in mild exasperation.

"Oh, yeah," Clint called back over his shoulder just before he rounded the corner. "And Nat said feel free to punch her, too."

"Laps," Steve scolded as Wanda let out a soft laugh. "You're already fifteen minutes behind the others."

"Right. On it. Later, kid!"

"Come on, Wanda," Steve said, ushering her along. "Let's get your face washed off, then you and Vision can go have fun while I run these other morons ragged."

* * *

When Steve stepped into the common room a few moments later to look for Vision, it wasn't the android that he found perched on the sofa.

Steve raised a brow at Natasha as she offered him a sweet, sheepish smile.

"One hundred laps?" he asked.

"Forty-six," the assassin winced. "I'll go right back, I promise. I just wanted to talk to Wanda...if she'll see me."

"Why don't you ask her?" came in a lilting accent from over Steve's shoulder before he could reply, and he and Natasha both turned to see Wanda leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey, hon," Natasha started, getting to her feet and edging forward a touch warily. "I figured I should probably make a point of talking to you...just to be sure you knew that everything I was doing was an act...and that I really, _really_ didn't mean to upset you - _or_ Vision - like that."

"Clint mentioned something along those lines," Wanda shrugged, glancing away, and Natasha edged a bit closer, a sorry pinch to her brows as she looked the little witch over.

"Yeah. We...tend to forget that other people still react to stuff like that with anything other than an urge to punch it in the face."

Natasha leaned to catch Wanda's eye, giving her an apologetic smile.

"We're a bit messed up," Natasha shrugged. "Me especially...Though I suppose you of all people would know that. Think you could find the heart to forgive us?"

Wanda seemed to mull it over for a second, letting out a slow breath before forcing a little smirk onto her face.

"So long as you keep your hands to yourself in the future, perhaps."

Natasha chuckled, clapping a hand on Wanda's shoulder.

"I will never touch your man again if you don't want me to. I promise."

"Why would I want you to?" Wanda asked, her face screwing up a little in confusion, and Natasha shrugged, a _grin_ creeping across her face.

"Some people are into that."

"Don't you have fifty-four more laps to run?" Steve asked in exasperation before Wanda could start asking questions. "And then a hundred push-ups, and a hundred chin-ups to do after that?"

Natasha threw him a saucy smirk, winking at the little witch and giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before drawing away, heading for the door.

"Yes, Drill Sergeant. Right away."

"Don't let me catch your ass back inside until you've completed everything," he called after her, scowling when she shouted "language" back from the hall.

"That woman, I swear..." Steve sighed.

To his relief, though, Wanda was smiling, warm and genuine as she turned her attention back to him.

"So Vizh and I have the day off?"

"Yeah, you're both excused from training today. The two of you be back before midnight, understood?" Steve said sternly, waiting for the girl to nod before digging for his wallet, offering Wanda a few folded bills. "Now go find Vision and have fun. Our treat."

"You're the best," Wanda said, slipping her arms around his middle and giving him a tight hug before scampering off, calling for Vision.

Steve watched her go with a little smile, something gentle and warm ebbing to replace the protective burn in his chest that had sparked to life when he'd seen her tears.

The poor creature had so little of her childhood innocence that hadn't been stolen away from her...he wasn't about to let the innocence of her first crush get taken from her as well.

"Take care, Wanda," he murmured after her with a soft smile. "Enjoy every minute of it."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Long story short, I got stranded in Baltimore for a week. =_=" One update to go!


	12. Day 12

"I think the only thing more embarrassing than showing up at the New Year's ball with my own brother is showing up in Natasha's old dress…" Wanda sighed, holding the fabric out from her body with a frown as she kept pace at her mother's side.

"Oh, nonsense," Laura scolded gently, reaching to brush a lock of her hair back into place. "You're going to look lovely. I promise."

"Everyone's going to remember that she wore it and laugh at me," Wanda pleaded. "I should have just worn my own…"

"Darling, there was a giant tear in the back…"

"We could have pinned it," she begged. "And we could have hid it with the bow! Papa spent so much on it, it would be a shame not to wear it-"

"Wanda," Laura scolded gently, moving to stand in front of the girl and catching her hands, leaning to meet her gaze. "If it's not patched properly, the rip is just going to get worse. You wouldn't want to ruin your lovely dress just for the sake of somebody _possibly_ remembering that Natasha wore this one last year, would you?"

Wanda met Laura's gaze for a long moment before letting out a long sigh.

"No, Mama."

"Come now," Laura soothed, reaching to stroke a flyaway strand of Wanda's hair back into place. "Don't look so down... Nobody who was looking at Natasha last year is going to be looking at you, and nobody looking at you would have been looking at Natasha."

"I'm not likely to have anyone looking at me at all…"

"Now that's not true," Laura said, drawing Wanda forward once more as they moved to catch up with her brother and father where they stood outside of Mayor Stark's mansion. "There are plenty of young men in this town with their eyes on you."

"None who bothered to ask me to the ball," she replied despondently. Laura simply offered her a hand.

"Well then, I suppose you'll just have to show them what they're missing, won't you?"

Wanda smiled a little at that, reaching to rest her fingers against her mother's outstretched palm.

"I suppose I'll try."

"That's the spirit," Laura smiled. "Now go have fun. Your father and I will be back to walk you two home around half past midnight."

"I will," Wanda promised, hugging her mother goodbye before turning her attention to her twin as he stepped up beside her.

"Enjoy yourselves, kiddos," their father winked, offering an arm to their mother as she moved to stand beside him. "We'll be back for the pair of you troublemakers later."

She and Pietro were quick to recite their goodbyes, waiting only until their parents had begun walking away to turn their attention to one another. Wanda raised an eyebrow at her brother, and the boy threw her a smirk.

"Shall we?" Pietro asked, offering his arm.

Wanda curled her hand around his elbow with a replying smirk that was only a little bit forced.

"Let's show them all what they're missing."

The two of them turned as one to face the house.

The stairway that led up to the mansion was impressive - all done in white marble and decorated with a candle on either side of every step. Above the carved wooden double doors that led inside, a rather large clock had been mounted, specially imported from somewhere in Europe. The edges of the clock face had been trimmed in evergreen garland and holly berries to be festive, and it was just dark enough now that the gas lights behind the timepiece were giving it a bit of a glow.

Pietro led the way up the front staircase– they had gotten a late start, and were some of the last few to arrive – and the two of them stepped slowly into the warmth of the main foyer, looking around in awe.

The Starks never failed to impress with decoration, and this year was no different. Every surface was covered with twinkling candles, fake snow, and evergreen boughs; ornaments and garland strung from the ceiling and banisters. The halls were lined with little tables that offered a selection of h'orderves and sweets, and the entryway to the atrium was set up with a drink table that had coffee, tea, and punch.

Wanda slipped out of her coat, letting one of the butlers take it as Pietro did the same, and the two were quick to make their way toward the main group of partygoers, looking around in wonder.

Wanda almost missed the little basket of empty dance cards and pencils that sat on a mahogany end table in the hall, but managed to grab a set on her way by. The folded card had a black ribbon that had been strung through the top corner of it, and Wanda carefully tied it about her wrist as Pietro guided her down the hallway.

She would have to start finding people to sign the card pretty quickly if she didn't want to spend the evening _dancing_ with her brother as well...

The party was being hosted on the large, carved marble floor in the atrium of the mansion, the usual plants and potted trees moved back against the arcing glass walls to leave room for dancing. The room had a large, sparkling, gas-lit chandelier hanging from the highest point of the ceiling, as well as an orchestra set up along the back wall, tuning their instruments as the young adults milled about.

For a long moment the two stood in the doorway, simply taking it all in.

And then a familiar face caught Wanda's eye.

"Look, there's Darcy!" she hissed, tugging a little at her twin's arm. "Look who she's with!"

Pietro squinted in the direction she was pointing for a long second before reeling back a touch in shock.

"Isn't that Thor's brother?"

"I think it is!" Wanda hissed, standing on her tip-toes to see better.

"She seriously picked _Loki_ over me?!" Pietro asked, and Wanda had to bite back a smile when his expression screwed up in distaste.

"Come on, brother mine," she teased. "Let's go strut about like peacocks and see if you catch her eye now that you're not a scruffy mess."

"As if you're one to talk," he scoffed, looking her up and down, and Wanda gave his arm a light swat.

"Be nice or I won't help you," she scolded through a laugh.

Her brother rolled his eyes but remained quiet.

Wanda began to lead him toward the pair, subconsciously wondering if she would score a date off of the deal as well, but halfway across the floor something caught her eye that brought her thoughts screeching to a halt. Or rather, some _one_.

There was a man.

Normally that wouldn't have been any kind of revelation, especially given that they were at a _party_ , but unlike all of the other young men who had showed up tonight, this one was entirely unfamiliar to her.

She had at least _seen_ everyone else here before, either around town or at school or at other parties similar to this, and she knew most of their names as well, but this man - with his chiseled features and piercing ice-blue eyes and sandy blonde hair - he was _definitely_ new.

And in a town as small as theirs, the appearance of a new face was quite an unusual occurrence.

"Who's that?" Wanda asked, stopping up short and yanking Pietro to a halt beside her.

Her brother made a little noise in protest but turned to see who she was looking at, raising a brow when he caught sight of the stranger.

"Huh. He must be new. Wonder if his family moved here recently."

"They must have," Wanda murmured, her eyes tracing the man's every move as he milled about over by the punch and snacks, sipping at a nearly-empty glass. "I would have remembered someone as attractive as him."

"Wanda, come _on_ ," Pietro nagged, giving her a little tug. "Darcy's dance card is going to be all filled up by the time we get over there…"

"I want a dance with him," she protested, but her brother was already hauling her off.

"You can get a dance with him once I've grabbed at least one slot on Darcy's card, okay?"

"Fine," she conceded with a sigh, "just make it quick, all right?"

Pietro didn't waste breath replying, the boy all but jogging over to where Darcy was just waving goodbye to Peter and hauling Wanda in tow right behind him.

"Pietro!" Darcy grinned as the two slowed to something resembling a casual pace. "I thought you weren't coming!"

"Well, someone had to bring Wanda," he shrugged, combing his fingers back through his hair in a move that was probably supposed to be slick, and Wanda just barely resisted the urge to step on his foot.

"That's sweet of you," Darcy smiled, folding her arms behind her back and leaning in. "So what brings you over here, besides showing off how nice you look in that suit jacket?"

Wanda put a great amount of effort into not rolling her eyes heavenward as Darcy gave Pietro an appreciative once-over and her brother responded by puffing out his chest and tugging his jacket more firmly into place.

"Well, I was looking around for the most beautiful girls in the room, so clearly I had to start over here. Could I perhaps reserve a dance?" Pietro asked, flashing her his most winning grin.

"Oh, Pietro, I'd love to," Darcy started, a frown tugging at her painted lips. "But I just let Peter sign on to my last open spot…my card's totally filled for the evening."

Wanda saw her brother's face crumple at that, a sympathetic ache pulsing in her own chest at the hurt and disappointment in his eyes.

"Oh…"

Pietro struggled for a moment to find something to say – some graceful way to back out of the conversation – and that gave Wanda just enough time to get hit with a sudden stroke of genius.

"My card!" she said sharply, her voice just a little too loud to be proper indoors as she snapped her arm out like she was directing traffic, freezing the two in place as they both turned their attention to her in question. "Darcy, you can take my card, and I'll take yours! Mine's empty still."

The other girl's eyes lit up in a second.

"Oh, that's brilliant!" Darcy grinned. "That way you'll already have dances lined up for you all evening, and I won't feel so bad about stealing your brother away."

Wanda was quick to tug the ribbon loose and offered her card out with a smile, the expression getting a touch strained as she realized with a sinking heart that unless Darcy had managed to track down the new young man that she'd spotted earlier, she wasn't going to be dancing with him at all.

"You're an absolute doll," Darcy grinned, tying Wanda's card over her wrist before offering the folded slip of cardstock out to Pietro.

"Go on, then. Hurry up and get your name on there. I've got a whole card full of slots to fill out before the first dance, and Thor is getting away."

Pietro was quick to scramble for the little pencil that Darcy offered, and Wanda focused on tying the ribbon for her new card around her wrist as he scribbled his name down into three of the slots on Darcy's card.

The new man was still over by the punch bowl, sipping carefully at the same mostly-empty drink as he looked around, and Wanda began edging in his direction, hoping for a chance to talk to him before the music started up.

"Wanda!"

She snapped her attention back just in time to find Pietro staring at her as Darcy tugged at his hand, trying to draw him away.

"You're good?" Pietro asked, glancing between her and Darcy in concern.

"Go have fun. I'm taken care of for the evening," Wanda smiled, waving the little card.

Her brother's face lit up at that, and he hesitated just long enough to call "thank you, love you" back at her before he was rushing after Darcy, practically skipping in joy.

Wanda turned around just as fast, beginning to weave her way back toward the entryway, but she'd gone no more than a few steps when the orchestra started up a long crescendo, quieting most of the people in the room.

Dangit, they were going to start.

Wanda looked over her card briefly, recognizing most of the names on the paper. There were a couple that weren't overly familiar to her, and she tipped her head in concentration as she tried to see if she could put a face to each of the names or if it might belong to the new young man she'd longed for a dance with.

A moment later she shook the thought away. She had other matters to attend to at the moment.

Her first dance was with Loki.

He had been Darcy's date for the evening, so it made sense that his name would have been first on the list, but Wanda was still a little taken aback at how quickly he found her. She'd barely lifted her head to glance around when he'd already shown up at her side, hands folded carefully behind his back as he looked around with that adorable little smirk that seemed to live on his lips.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected," the dark-haired man observed, leaning in a little to be heard over the music as he forced a rather dry smile. "I thought I would be dancing with Darcy."

"I got here late and had no one to dance with, so she traded cards with me," Wanda shrugged, half hoping that Loki would back out so she could go track down the mysterious stranger from earlier.

But Loki didn't turn the dance down, instead breathing out a quiet sound in understanding as his smile melted into something a touch more genuine and his eyes softened.

"Well, in that case, I certainly won't pass up the opportunity to dance with Mister Barton's lovely daughter."

Loki swept her into a waltz before she could even fully register his words, his movements just in time to catch the beat in the music, and Wanda took a moment to get her bearings before matching him pace for pace.

Loki was a wonderful dancer, graceful and smooth as he drew her across the ballroom effortlessly. She could understand why Darcy had accepted his invitation, even if she'd ditched the poor thing in a hot second.

Although she didn't feel quite as bad knowing that Darcy still had a mostly empty card, and Loki could still get his chance at a dance with her at some point that evening.

Two rounds in, she spotted her brother and Darcy over Loki's shoulder, and lifted her fingertips in a little wave to alleviate Pietro's concerned look. Loki glanced back over his shoulder at that, raising a brow as he caught sight of her brother with his date.

Pietro threw the man a smirk, and Wanda had to bite back a smile as Loki responded with a saccharine grin and a subtle half-pace closer to her that made Pietro bristle.

Fortunately the music only lasted for one more turn about the floor, and she and Loki took a step apart as the tune faded out, applauding with the rest of the crowd.

"It was a pleasure, Miss Wanda," Loki said with a bow. "But if you'll excuse me, I must go find Miss Sif before the next song."

Wanda curtsied in reply, feeling a little silly but not knowing quite how else to respond, and quickly checked her dance card the moment Loki vanished into the crowd.

The next name was scrawled in Darcy's handwriting, listed as simply "Apprentice," and Wanda frowned down at it for a long moment in confusion before a gentle cough from beside her caught her attention.

Ian Booths was fidgeting awkwardly beside her, running a hand through his hair.

"Um…Darcy said she gave her card to you…I believe I have this next dance?"

"There's another name in the slot, I think," Wanda shrugged, offering out the card for the mousy young man to inspect as she once again felt the slight flutter of hope that she would have a dance free to go find her mysterious stranger.

"Oh, yeah…that's me," Ian said, releasing the card with a sigh. "I'm currently apprenticed to her father, so that's what she calls me. I'm pretty sure she thinks that 'apprentice' is my name."

"Well then, Ian," Wanda said, being sure to put emphasis on the poor young man's name, "I believe that you owe me a dance."

Ian was...passable. He was a little uncoordinated, and a touch stiff with his movements - especially compared to Loki - but he kept the beat well enough and seemed genuinely glad to have wound up with her as a partner. When the music faded out he left her with his thanks and a sweet smile.

The rest of the evening went much the same, with her partners seeming surprised but not entirely disappointed with the switch, and she actually had a pretty good time. But as each dance went by, and she moved down another line on her dance card, she got closer to finishing her evening without a dance from the one person she'd been longing to take for a spin.

She'd seen glances of him, standing at the edge of the room as everyone else took their turn on the floor, and for one song he even stepped out to dance, accompanied by Jemma from the next neighborhood over. However, the man seemed to be keeping to himself, not really talking to any of the other partygoers, and Wanda couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor thing.

He was clearly uncomfortable, not sure quite who to talk to or how to join in on the fun, and so was satisfying himself with simply hanging around the edges and watching. She longed to go talk with him, to offer a little smile or greeting, but Darcy was nothing if not thorough, and she was booked solid for the entire evening.

As the final dance rolled around Wanda looked around for any approaching young men, having stopped checking the names on her card halfway through the evening because they always seemed to find her without issue. This time, however, she could see no one approaching, and for a second her heart started racing. She turned around, her eyes darting over the crowd until she found the man, still leaned up against the wall and looking rather forlorn.

Wanda swallowed hard, starting to slowly walk toward him.

Maybe this was it.

Maybe, right at the very end, she would get a chance to-

"Miss Wanda!"

She stopped up short at the call, turning around slowly to find herself met with a big, pleading set of brown eyes.

"Oh," Wanda said, not quite able to keep the disappointment from her tone. "Peter."

Right. Darcy's final spot had gone to the Parker boy. Damn.

She glanced over her shoulder again, watching her mysterious stranger look around the room, seemingly partnerless for the last dance. Maybe it wasn't completely hopeless just yet - she could still ask Peter to let her out of this one dance. Wanda took a slow breath, turning her attention back to the boy with a pounding, desperately hopeful heart.

"Peter..."

She did not expect the utterly despondent look on his face, however.

"Please don't turn me away," Peter begged before she could even put a string of words together. "I know I'm not the best dancer but nobody's danced with me all evening and I've already had three other girls find other partners even after I'd signed onto their cards...please don't you turn me away, too...not for the last dance..."

Wanda bit her tongue, glancing once more at the stranger in the corner before she returned her stare to the pleading gaze of the young brunette before her.

Damnit.

Wanda let out a slow breath, forcing a smile onto her face before she replied.

"Of course I won't turn you away, Peter. You're name's on my card, you've got this dance fair and square."

"Thank you," the boy breathed, slumping forward for a long second in complete and utter relief. "Just...thank you. I appreciate this so much, and I am really, really, _really_ sorry ahead of time if I step on your feet."

Wanda hummed a quiet little sound in reply, accepting her fate, and took the boy's offered hand so he could lead her out onto the floor.

When she glanced over her shoulder she caught sight of someone who rather looked like Zrinka from two houses over asking the new man to dance, and she bit back a sigh.

Well. There went that idea in its entirety.

Wanda kept her head bowed for a long moment after Peter turned around with his arms outstretched, meticulously placing her feet and hands to distract from the fact that she was trying to rally her composure as they waited for the next song to start.

She really should have figured that this was going to be a lousy evening...from discovering a torn seam in her new dress and having to attend the party with her brother, to showing up late and not even getting to pick who she danced with, everything had been building up to a rather disappointing end, and she really wished that she hadn't allowed her hopes to get up at all.

What a New Year's eve _this_ was turning out to be...

She was trying not to be bitter about Pietro getting his date, because she dearly loved her brother and would absolutely do this all again to make him smile like that, but it still hurt a little to see him leaned almost nose to nose with Darcy as they spoke, waiting for the music to start, when she hadn't even gotten to _speak_ _with_ the gentleman she'd had her eyes on since walking in the door.

Nor could she really find it in her heart to be annoyed with Peter either - the poor thing sounded like he'd had a worse time of it than her, and she wasn't about to turn him away from one of the few dances he'd gotten all evening.

She just desperately wished that everyone else's enjoyment hadn't needed to come at the cost of the one thing she'd wanted.

Wanda took a slow breath, teasing her smile into something a little more genuine as the music started up and Peter stumbled into movement, his actions still a little clumsy and uncertain from lack of practice.

The last song was a slower tune than the previous songs, an intimate buildup as they approached midnight, and Wanda shook the thoughts from her head in order to better focus on what was going on.

If this was to be her evening, she might as well make the most of it. After all, Peter was a very sweet boy, and wasn't nearly as poor a dancer as he'd implied. She could at least try to have fun.

Perhaps after the party she could catch the stranger before he l-

"Excuse us, mind if I cut in?"

Wanda glanced up sharply as Darcy appeared at her side, slipping Peter's hand out of Wanda's before either of them could speak and drawing the boy into her own arms. Wanda turned around, following the two in confusion, and found herself suddenly being handed off to a new partner, one that wasn't familiar to her in the slightest.

She glanced up in confusion - the man was so incredibly tall - and almost choked on her next inhale when she realized just who it was that Darcy had traded her partners for.

Oh.

 _Oh._

Wanda looked around the room in absolute shock for a second, her eyes darting from Darcy and Peter over to her brother, who was currently sweeping Zrinka around the floor. Her twin glanced over in time to catch her gaze and gave her a big wink, and Wanda felt a huge smile bloom on her face.

Bless him.

He'd actually arranged to get her the dance she wanted.

Wanda turned her gaze back to her partner with a sweet smile, trying and likely not succeeding at keeping a blush from her face.

"I...apologize for the abruptness of this," the man started. "I fear I was rather swept into the exchange before I knew what was going on. Would it be all right if I took the rest of this dance?"

"Absolutely," Wanda breathed before she could even think to play coy. "M-my name's Wanda."

"A pleasure to meet you," the man responded with a warm, genuine smile that made something inside of her just melt. "My name is Vizh. I recently moved here to apprentice under the Starks."

"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you around before," Wanda said lightly, only just barely keeping her comment about remembering someone as attractive as him to herself.

"Yes…I'm afraid I don't know a great many people yet."

Wanda smiled up at him in reply, curling her fingers more pointedly through his as the music tumbled into another verse.

"I will simply have to introduce you to everyone, then," she said. "Although I rather doubt there will be time for that tonight, being so close to midnight and all."

"Perhaps if you do not have plans for New Year's day," the man started slowly, glancing away shyly and making Wanda's heart flutter. "We could arrange to meet somewhere, and you could begin introducing me to everyone in town?"

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," she all but sighed. "Do you know where the pond is? The one where they have the skating rink set up?"

"I believe I do," the man nodded.

"Perhaps we could meet there around noon?" she asked. And if everything went well, he might even offer to take her ice skating afterwards…

"That would be amenable to me," he smiled. "Tomorrow at noon it is."

"Wonderful," she grinned in response.

The next turn or two around the floor were spent in a comfortable silence, Wanda feeling practically giddy. The evening had taken a complete turn for the better, and suddenly everything leading up to this moment had been completely worth it. She could hardly believe it.

The two of them slowed to a stop as the orchestra faded out, and Wanda glanced up at Vish as the man returned her smile, their hands still entwined.

"Miss Wanda, it was truly a pleasure," he murmured, bowing his head a little. "I will eagerly await our next meeting."

And the only vaguely intelligent thing she had to say in response to that was "me too."

"Everybody get ready!" somebody from the far end of the room called before either of them could say anything further. "Countdown is starting!"

Wanda and Vision exchanged a glance as the person began to lead a chant, counting the seconds down till midnight and waving for everyone to gather out in the main hallway.

 _"Seventeen!"_

 _"Sixteen!"_

 _"Fifteen!"_

 _"Fourteen!"_

 _"Thirteen!"_

The two of them scrambled to join the gathering crowd, everyone snatching little poppers and streamers from the table displays as they passed - the food and drinks having been exchanged out during the final dance.

Not that Wanda had really noticed anything at all other than her dance partner.

 _"Twelve!"_

 _"Eleven"_

 _"Ten!"_

 _"Nine!"_

The two of them ducked out of the mansion's front doors with the rest of the crowd, a giddy, excited laugh bubbling in Wanda's throat and a _huge_ smile making its way across Vizh's face as they scrambled to keep up.

 _"Eight!"_

 _"Seven!"_

 _"Six!"_

Once outside they quickly positioned themselves on the front steps, looking up at the large clock on the front of the manor. It was fully dark out now, and the back-lighting made the enormous timepiece glow with a splendor that was breathtaking.

 _"Five!"_

The air was cold, little flurries of snow drifting their way down to land on piled curls and neatly combed hair and fancy outfits of all materials, but between the residual warmth from inside and the press of the crowd, Wanda hardly noticed.

 _"Four!"_

Vizh shifted beside her, a little tilt of his head accompanied by a miniscule lean in, and Wanda tipped her head close in response so she could hear him over the chanting of the crowd.

 _"Three!"_

"I'm glad I found you," he murmured, his beautiful sapphire eyes crinkling at the corners as he gave her a smile before returning his focus to the clock.

 _"Two!"_

Everyone around her began to raise their poppers in the air, shifting in anticipation. Wanda tightened her grip on him, only realizing then that they hadn't released each other's hands since the final song had ended.

 _"One!"_

"Me too, Vish."

 _"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Shut up it's totally still December. *crawls under a rock*


End file.
